


Cause I'm Awesome

by jenasys



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-02-17 05:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 50,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13069953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenasys/pseuds/jenasys
Summary: Ryvre is Collin's older sister. They are quite happy with their life in Seattle. On a family outing, Ryvre catches the attention of Riley- Victoria's second in command. When Collin phases into a wolf for the first time, the family is forced to return to their hometown.Paul is a well known playboy in La Push. Why should imprinting change that?Slow burn. Warning for lots of cursing.





	1. Chapter 1

**April**

**Ryvre's POV**

All I could think about was how happy I was that it was a Friday. The clock on the wall was against me though as it seemed to slow down with every second that ticked by. I drummed my fingers on the desk impatiently. It was the last period of the day and I was ready to get the fuck out of here already. My best friend, Kelly Leonard smirked from the desk next to me. She was as bored as I was.

Our teacher, Mr. Davis wasn't even trying to keep us interested anymore. I glanced around the room and realized most of the class was asleep or getting there. I peeked up the clock, twenty minutes to go. With a sigh I started doodling on the paper in front of me. The boy who was seated in front of me started snoring. After a few minutes it started to bother me. I smirked at Kelly then poked the boy in the shoulder blade with my pen.

He yelped and jumped up. The sound he made caused everyone to laugh, including me. Mr. Davis scolded him about interrupting class. I rolled my eyes. _Fucking prick_. I looked back at the clock. Fourteen minutes to go. You've got to be fucking kidding me. I looked back at Kelly and sighed dramatically. She giggled, causing Mr. Davis to turn his attention to us.

"Ms. Leonard, is there anything you and Ms. Phoenix would like to share?"

I smiled. "Yes actually. I was wondering if it were possible to be so bored you'd rather put your face through a plexi-glass window than sit through this class for another ten minutes."

Ignoring the snickers around the room he glared at me. "Stay after class, Ms. Phoenix. We should talk about your attitude."

"I'm sorry, I can't. My little brother has karate class right after school and I have to take him," I lied easily.

"I think your brother will understand that your education is more important than his karate. With this being your senior year I would think you would be a little more serious about your future and getting into a good college."

"A few things wrong in your statement, sir. One, staying after so you can bitch at me about my attitude doesn't help my education. Two, my brother always comes first," I countered. "And three, I've already been accepted to my dream school." I smiled brightly.

He sighed, starting to get irritated. Before he could say anything, the bell rang. I grabbed my shit and ran out the door. Kelly met me at my locker.

"God Davis is such a dick," she complained.

"I know. Maybe all he needs is for his wife to pull on little Davis every once in a while. He's too fucking uptight." I made an obscene motion with my hand. Kelly elbowed me, laughing loud enough for a few kids to look at her. "Damn, Kelly. Your loud ass mouth."

"Shut up," she hissed, looking at the floor.

My little brother, Collin was waiting for me by the door. Kelly said her good byes and started toward her car. Collin followed me out to the little blue Honda my dad had just given to me. Collin climbed into the passenger seat next to me, barely fitting into my usually spacious car.

"Geez Collin, for a freshman you're fucking huge," I teased.

He rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Fuck off."

I smiled. "Love you too, little bro."

He stared out the window the whole way home. A few minutes later, we were pulling into our driveway. I loved our house. It was three stories high and located just along the Puget Sound. My family had lived in Seattle since I was five and Collin was three. From my bedroom window, I had an excellent view of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Collin, my dad and myself were from La Push originally and my mom was born in Sweden. My parents were hippies back in the day and had met at some dive bar in New York in 1981. Dad had grown out of that phase when I was born. He had a degree in pathology and was a medical examiner at the morgue in Seattle. I've always loved hearing my dad talk about work. He doesn't tell me much about people's names but he likes telling me the interesting cases he gets. He thinks I should become a medical examiner also. My mom is still a total hippie and thinks I should surf. I love the woman, but damn she's odd sometimes. Dad thinks it's a result of too much weed in the 70s.

I also blame the pot for her naming me like she did. I mean, my full name is Ryvre Autumn Phoenix, while my brother got off easy with Collin Nicholas Phoenix. Blame the spelling on my mother, the eternal flower child.  
Collin and I went into the house, him heading straight for the kitchen. “Save me a burrito,” I called to him, starting up the stairs. He answered but I didn’t really hear him. I went up to my room and tossed my bag in the corner. My laptop was on my beside table, waiting for me.

Ten minutes into The Office I heard my mom come in and tell Collin to get out of the kitchen. A little while later, she called us down for dinner. As mom was setting the food on the table and trying to keep Collin from getting it, dad came in.

"Hi, daddy!" I sang and jumped up to kiss his cheek.

"Hey there, little Ryvre." He said hugging me back. Daddy's girl, I have always been.

"How was work, honey?" Mom asked as we started to eat.

Dad sighed. "There was another murder last night." I turned to him. He now had my full attention. "I got the body this morning. Just like the others, it was completely drained. Absolutely no blood whatsoever." He shook his head in frustration.

"Maybe it's vampires," Collin laughed in between bites. Dad's head whipped toward him, then realized he was kidding he looked back down at his plate.

I didn't know what to say. These murders had been happening for over a week now and dad was obviously on edge about them. I studied his face, noticing his dark eyes set in concentration, his lips pressed into a hard line. This tight expression of worry and confusion was foreign on my father's face.

The murders that had my father and the Seattle police department so in an uproar were happening far too often for their liking. Bodies were turning up randomly with all their blood drained and seemingly no wounds. They were all of various genders, race and social class so there was no pattern for the police to follow.

Other people were going missing with little to no trace of where they'd gone. My father was paranoid about it, with good reason of course.

My mother, the optimist, chimed in. "You'll figure things out." She smiled at dad. He shrugged, giving her a pained smile, and started eating again.

I looked across the table at Collin. "Damn kid, you're acting like you haven't eaten in years." He growled at me. I dropped my fork in surprise. "Did you just growl at me? What are you a fucking dog now?"

"Shut up Ryvre!" he yelled, starting to shake.

"Collin, eat!" Dad ordered. “And Ryvre, watch your mouth.”

Collin listened and started eating, his shaking stopped. After dinner, I kissed mom and dad good night and went up to my room. There was a text from Kelly waiting for me. I smiled as I read her invitation. Quietly, I slipped into an outfit, grabbed my fake ID and climbed out the window.

* * *

 

**Sam POV**

"Sam, phone!" Emily called from the kitchen.

"Who is it?" I asked, standing up. It was nearly ten at night.

"Nick Phoenix," she said, her voice conveying the confusion she felt.

Racking my brain, I took the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sam," the man on the other end said. "My name is Nick, Billy gave me your number. He said he was going to call you and let you know I would be in touch but I guess he didn't yet?"

"No, he didn't," I replied. "He's been a little busy lately. We recently had a death in the family." Harry Clearwater had died nearly a month ago but it was still so fresh in our minds. His children, Seth and Leah had both phased into wolves and joined our pack. Sue was beside herself with all of it. Billy had been doing his best to be there for her so it's no surprise a few things slipped his mind.

"That's alright," Nick said. "I can explain things just fine. I'm originally from La Push but we live in Seattle now. However, my son is showing signs that he may be getting ready to turn into a wolf."

"What kind of signs? And how old is he?"

"Fourteen," Nick replied, sounding a little sad. "His temper is getting worse. He is snapping at his sister all the time. Tonight at dinner he started to shake. He calmed down when I told him to but I can't help but worry that next time he won't be able to stop it."

And someone gets hurt, I thought, glancing at Emily in the living room. "We can make arrangements for you to move down here, if that's what you would like," I said. "There isn't much else I can do for you. The process has already begun so there's no way to stop it unless you move somewhere completely away from the vampires."

There was a long silence over the phone. "So the murders in the city are vampires? Billy didn't want to confirm it but I've seen the bodies. It's not hard to figure it out." He sighed.

"Have you seen anything that can help us stop them?" I asked. "Any bodies popping up in one particular place? Something that might be able to help us find their nest."

"Not that I can think of. I would invite you to come look for yourself but I know how dangerous that would be," he said.

"Just try to keep your son calm for now, that's really all the advice I can give you. I'll have Emily start looking for a place for you. If he phases it will be too dangerous for you to stay in the city. It may be too dangerous now," I said, thinking it over.

Nick sighed again, sounding like a man who was between a rock and a hard place. "Thanks, Sam. I'll call you if anything changes."

We hung up. 

"Who was that?" Emily asked from the other room.

Now, I sighed. "Tomorrow's problem."


	2. Bleed the Freak

**(Ryvre's POV)**

Dad was still on edge about the murders that were happening all over Seattle. One happened a few blocks from our house. I could see dad growing more anxious with each passing day. He wouldn't even let Collin and I out of the house after dark.

It was Saturday and dad wanted us to go out as a family for the day. So we all got up around ten and went out to brunch. I was still amazed at how much my brother was eating. He was getting bigger every day. If I stared at him long enough I swear I could almost see him growing; it was ridiculous.

Around twelve we finished eating and mom suggested we go to the mall. "It will be fun."

"I don't think it's a good idea," dad said as a shadow crossed his face.

"It's a mall full of people, Nick, it will be fine."

"Surrounded by people is never fine for me," I said flatly.

"Well, we're going anyway. Collin needs some new clothes. I just bought those jeans before school started and now they're high waters," she said, looking at her son.

Eventually, dad relented. When we got there, mom went off with Collin, chattering happily as they walked away from us.

Dad and I wandered aimlessly around the mall, going in and out of various stores. After a while he asked, "So Little Ryvre, are you still planning to follow in your old man's footsteps and become a medical examiner?"

I could tell he was proud that I wanted to choose his career path. I smiled, "Yes, but I was thinking I might get a degree in forensic anthropology.” He opened his mouth but I quickly cut him off, “I know what you're going to say but it's something I really want to do."

 

"And you're still determined to go to UNC even though it's all the way across the country?" dad asked.

I sighed. We had been over this before. "I know dad, but it's the best school you know that. I could get a job at just about any university or museum. Plus, I hear their basketball team is good. You love basketball."

Dad looked down at me. "Honey, they're not just good, those Tarheel boys can't be beat. Maybe it's a good thing you want to go to UNC." His expression was a strange mix of sadness and hopefulness that I couldn't understand.

I smiled. "I'm not leaving tomorrow, calm down." He smiled back down at me and we kept on walking. A few minutes later I said, "Hey, I'm going to find the food court and get something to eat. I'll be back."

"Okay, hurry back." He said walking into Spencer's. I started walking away shaking my head. I didn't even want to know what my dad was looking at in Spencer's.

Standing in line, I pulled my phone out to text Kelly. We’d had a blast at the club last night. She'd had to forced me to go and watch her make out with random guys. I danced a little but mostly sat by the bar and waited for her. Kelly sent me a text that made me frown. ‘ _I don’t want to go out tonight. They found a body two blocks from your house. Two fucking blocks, Ryvre_.’

I replied that I understood, we wouldn’t sneak out again until they found whoever was killing all these people. To be honest I was glad. Just thinking about it scared me. After paying for my food I started to head back in the direction I had left dad when I suddenly felt like someone was watching me. When I turned around there were two people staring at me. The boy had black eyes and looked like he wanted to eat me. The girl had flame red hair and red eyes.

They reached me before I could walk away. The boy couldn’t help but smile as he said, "Hi, my name is Riley. I saw you from across the mall and wanted to know if you'd have lunch with my sister and I."

The girl grabbed his arm. "Yes, my name is Victoria and we'd love it if you'd have some lunch with us."

Chills ran up and down my spine. I shook my head. "I can’t, my dad is waiting for me." I turned to walk away, not giving them a chance to answer.

I heard Riley hiss behind me, "Victoria, stop her! She's my singer, I need her!"

She said something to him I didn't catch since I was nearly running away from them. When I reached my dad, mom and Collin were standing with him. My appetite was gone so I shoved my box of fries at Collin. "Are we ready to go?" I asked.

Collin gave me a funny look, but I ignored him. Dad led us out to the car where we all climbed in. My brother glared at me and rolled his window down, a blast of cold frigid air hitting my face.

"What the fuck Collin?! Put your window up, asshole!" I screamed.

"No! You stink, Ryvre!" he yelled back. Dad put his window up and then put the locks on.

"I don't stink, Collin," I told him.

He growled. "Yes, you do. You smell like you rolled in syrup or something. What did you do spray yourself with every perfume in the mall?"

Dad glanced in the rearview mirror. "What do you mean? Like sickly sweet?"

Collin nodded. "Yes. Like bleach and syrup and it's making me sick!"

We pulled into the driveway then. Collin hopped out and dramatically breathed in fresh air. I rolled my eyes and went inside, mom, dad and Collin following.

I was almost to the stairs, when dad stopped me. "Wait a minute Ryvre.”

“What?” I snapped, spinning around.

“Did you talk to anyone when we were at the mall?” he asked calmly, the worry swimming in his eyes completely disarmed me however.

I deflated. "Kind of. There were these two creeps following me and asked me to have lunch with them. But I told them no and came to find you," I said.

"What did they look like?" Dad asked, looking at me seriously.

Mom looked at him worriedly. "Nick, what is going on?"

Dad shook his head. "Hold on, I need Ryvre to explain everything first. Tell me what they looked like." I'd never seen my dad like this before. It scared me and I didn't like it.

"I mean, I really don’t understand why you’re worried about it, dad. They were teenagers.”

“Humor me, little Ryvre.” He stared at me.

“The boy had brown hair and black eyes and his skin looked like wax. Now that I think about it, it’s weird because the girl had the same skin, like they could be siblings. But they didn’t look anything alike. She had red hair and the weirdest eyes. I could swear they were red," I described.

"Red eyes? Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Probably some cheap contacts."

Dad asked, "Did they say anything else at all? I need to know."

"No, I didn’t give them the chance. But I did hear the guy say something about a singer."

Dad's eyes widened. "Did he say you were his singer?" I nodded.

Mom was near hysterics. "Nick, what the hell does all this mean? What is going on? Tell me!"

Dad ignored her again. "Have you ever seen these people before?" I shook my head. "Okay. Listen, if you ever see them again, run into a big crowd. They won't attack then." He started to pull out his phone.

Collin looked scared now. "Attack? Is Ryvre in danger?" He started shaking again. "If I have to, I will go and find those freaks and tear them limb from limb! How dare they threaten my sister!" He started shaking more violently than I had ever seen him. Dad pushed mom and me up the stairs away from Collin.

"Nick, what is happening?!" Mom commanded. Dad didn't answer; he just watched Collin's shaking form until he exploded into a giant wolf in our living room. Mom fainted, dad just barely catching her.

My eyes bugged out of my head. "What the fucking fuck?" I sputtered.


	3. Falling to Pieces

**(Ryvre's POV)**

Collin-wolf lay down in front of us whimpering. Dad laid mom on the couch and went over to speak with Collin. I stood there frozen in place, my mouth still hanging open, while dad talked to Collin, trying to calm him down from what I could gather. Mom woke up about ten minutes after she fainted and sat stone still on the couch staring at her son.

Collin's body began to shift and dad grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch. He turned to me, "Ryvre, go get your brother some clothes."

I turned and automatically walked into Collin's room and grabbed him some clothes. When I came back down, Collin was human again with the blanket wrapped around his waist. Oh, I was so never touching that again. He took the clothes from me, mumbled a thank you and started to slip them on. I turned and sat on the couch with mom.

Dad sat in the recliner and Collin took the chair across from him. "I guess I have some explaining to do." Dad said calmly.

"You got that fucking right," I snapped. He smiled at me.

Mom slapped my knee. "Watch your mouth Ryvre Autumn." I rolled my eyes, but she didn't see.

Dad sat up straighter and said, "The Quileutes have legends that tell of being descendant from wolves." He then told us the stories of Taha Aki and the cold ones.

The faces of Victoria and Riley flashed in my mind. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You mean the people I saw today were cold ones?" He nodded. "That means what exactly?"

"Vampires," he said seriously.

"So according to the legends, wolves kill vampires. Is Collin supposed to kill them by himself?!" Mom asked in a panicked voice.

Dad shook his head. "No, I'll call Sam and let him know what happened today."

"Who's Sam?" Mom asked, cutting him off.

"He's the current leader of the wolf pack in La Push. His grandfather was part of the last La Push wolf pack. Why don't you all go get some rest? We'll talk about this in the morning." He took the phone and went into his study.

Collin, mom and I looked at each other. "Well today was interesting," Mom said.

I rolled my eyes. “Not the word I would use. I was followed by vampires, found out my blood sings to one said vampire, my brother turns into a werewolf in our living room and all you can say is interesting?” Woman was delusional I tell you.

Collin laughed. Mom just shrugged. “My son just turned into a werewolf in my living room so excuse me if my brain isn’t supplying me with more elaborate word choices.”

Deciding to drop it, I shook my head and went upstairs and climbed into bed. The sun was still shining through my window but I didn’t care. I was beyond over this day. Needless to say I didn't sleep very well that night since I dreamed Riley and Victoria showed up to suck my blood. Then the Count from Sesame Street showed up and started counting them to death. Fucking weird.

* * *

 

When I went downstairs the next morning for breakfast, mom, dad and Collin were all seated at the table. I sat down across from Collin and looked at dad.

He sighed, "I talked to Sam and Billy last night. Here's what they know. There seems to be a large number of vampires in the area that he believes are responsible for the deaths here in Seattle. Right now, there are about nine boys- well, eight boys and one girl- on the reservation that have phased. There's a pack again and Collin has just joined. We're moving to La Push."

"Fuck my life," was my brilliant response. I may have been born in La Push, but Seattle was my home now.

Dad went on, "I also told him about what happened at the mall yesterday. Sam thinks it would be best if Ryvre and Collin went down to La Push today and stay at his home. They'll begin training Collin as soon as possible and they want to make sure Ryvre is safe. Billy has already found a house and we'll move in as soon as possible. Go upstairs and get some things packed. The sooner you're on Quileute land, the sooner you'll be safe."

"You want me to move away from all my friends because a vampire is after my blood?" I asked.

Dad sighed. "Ryvre, we can't fight about this. This is the best thing for us all, I'm sorry but this has to be done today, we can't take the chance of the vampire finding you. Once a vampire has your scent they never forget it. Especially since you're his singer, he will never let that go. Go get some clothes together. There are more than just those two vampires here. Billy and the others are working out a plan to dispose of them."

I stood up defeated, normally I would put up more of a fight, but in my heart I knew dad was right. Collin and I would be better off on Quileute land. On the way upstairs behind Collin I wondered how my life became so fucked up. I walked in my room and went over to my window. I looked out over the sound to the Olympic Mountains. This could be the last time I stand here and witness this spectacular view.

"We're not moving forever you know. Just until this problem is taken care of," dad said from my doorway.

"How long will that be?" I asked coldly.

"I don't know," he said honestly.

"What about this fall when I start school? Will I be allowed to go or will I have to stay?"

"It might be over by then," he replied.

"But what if it's not, dad?" I huffed. “And what about Collin? He’s only fourteen, dad.” I turned to face him. “These vampires are obviously dangerous, if you think they’re the ones killing people. And you said they’re working on a plan to get rid of them. That means Collin will have to fight them, doesn’t it?”

Dad looked at the ground. “Maybe.”

“What if he gets hurt? Or killed?”

“We’re going to do everything in our power to properly train him. If it comes to a fight he will be ready,” dad promised.

“And what if that’s not good enough?”

“To die in the heat of battle is an honor to the Quilete people,” he replied.

Anger bubbled in my chest. “If you say so,” I snapped, pushing my door shut. How could he believe that putting his own son in the line of fire was a good idea? I sighed and started packing up my clothes, some books, my laptop and IPod. I heaved my things down the stairs. Collin effortlessly picked up my things and took them out to the car, smirking at me.

"You cheated, butthead," I said, he laughed at me. I went out and got into my Civic with mom. Dad and Collin got into mom's Accord. Mom drove, following dad to La Push. A few hours later we were pulling into a driveway next to a little house set in the woods. Oh yeah, La Push is definitely not Seattle.

Dad went up to the door and knocked, mom, Collin and I behind him. A moment later, a very large man opened the door. "Hi, my name is Nick Phoenix, I'm looking for Sam Uley," Dad said.

The man smiled, "I'm Sam Uley. Come on in, Emily would kill me if I left you all in the rain."

We followed him inside. "So who's Emily?" I asked.

Sam smiled, "My fiancé."

I sighed. "Thank god a woman lives here. I was worried I'd have to be around giant men all the time."

Sam smirked at me, then turned to my dad. "Is this the scary girl you were talking about?"

Dad nodded, "In the flesh. This is my daughter, Ryvre."

I glared at him. "I'm not scary. And you're werewolves, if you guys are scared of me, well, then you're not much of a werewolf are you."

Sam laughed at me. "You're feisty aren't you?"

"When I'm in the mood," I said in a bored voice.

He then turned and held his hand out to my brother. "You must be Collin. I'm Sam, your Alpha."

Collin nodded. "Nice to meet you."

Sam turned to my mom, "That leaves you to be Veronika. Very pleased to meet you."

Mom smiled. "Much obliged, Sam."

Sam smiled back and called out, "Emily!"

A few minutes later a woman appeared wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "Yes, Sam?" She asked.

He went through the introductions again. I noticed Emily had three long scars down the right side of her face, but I didn't stare and didn't really pay attention to them. I always looked people in the eyes anyway.

After a little while, mom and dad left. Collin asked, "So where's the rest of the pack? I thought my dad said there were a lot of you guys."

Sam laughed. "Well, with us knowing there are vampires so close, I sent them out to patrol. Those who aren't patrolling are resting so they can patrol later. I'll take you on your first patrol now so we can work on your phasing, okay. I'll have to keep you out of school for a week or two so you can get control over yourself."

Collin nodded. "Sounds good."

Sam asked, "So did your dad explain all the legends? How we became wolves, why we become wolves, the cold ones, imprinting?"

"All except imprinting, what is that?" Collin asked.

Sam smiled. "Imprinting is how a werewolf finds their soul mate. The very first time you look into their eyes after you phase, you imprint on her. You're bound to her for life. She's your other half pretty much. But you have to be whatever the imprint wants you to be, a friend, a brother, a lover, a father, whatever they want."

Collin nodded. For the first time in a while, I spoke up. "Did you imprint on Emily?"

Sam smirked. "That obvious huh?"

"Oh yeah," I said.

He laughed. "Well, Ryvre, you can do whatever you want here. Watch TV, help Emily cook, unpack your stuff, whatever you want."

I smiled. "Thanks Sam."

He looked at me. "Okay, I take that back, you can't do whatever you want. I don't like that look you just had in your eye, danger."

"Danger?" I asked.

"That's your new nickname, because well, you look dangerous."

Emily walked into the room then. I looked up at her with wide eyes. "Emily, Sam just called me dangerous."

She smiled. "Well are you?"

I shook my head. Collin laughed. "Yeah, right."

Crossing my arms, I stuck my tongue out at him.

Sam intervened. "Okay, you two calm down. Collin, we gotta go meet the pack come on." He kissed Emily quickly and then left.

I looked at Emily. "Need any help in the kitchen? I can't cook but I can sit back and tell you what you're doing wrong."

She laughed loudly and said, "Come on then." I followed her in the kitchen. She put me to work stirring the food she had on the stove. I had a neat little stirring system going on until Emily stopped me and had me fix a plate.

"Since the rest of the pack isn't coming over tonight, we don't have to worry about them eating everything. Although, Sam and Collin will be here so we'll still have to get what we can now." She smiled at me.

We ate lunch together as we waited for Sam and Collin to come back. After we finished washing dishes, the front door opened.

Sam came in without Collin. I started to ask where my brother was when Sam said, "He's patrolling with some of the boys. Young wolves aren’t able to keep their temper under control very well. It'll be safer if he stays away from you for about a week or two. The rest of the boys will stay away until then also to give you time to get used to all of this." I nodded in thanks. What I didn’t tell him was I would never be okay with them training my brother to fight fucking vampires.

He and Emily began talking so I went into the room Emily said was mine and pulled out my laptop. I mindlessly checked Facebook and twitter before scrolling through tumblr.

My door opened to reveal Emily. "Hey, just wanted to check in on you."

Usually I would have a nasty remark for anyone who just walked into my room without knocking but something about Emily stopped me. I smiled, "Thanks, Emily. I’m okay.”

“Are you really?” she challenged.

I looked away, blinking furiously. “No,” I admitted quietly.

“It’s a big change, moving from the city to this little reservation,” she started. “But I know that’s not what your problem is. It’s the werewolf thing, right? The fact that your little brother is out there right now; patrolling the perimeter for vampires, learning how to fight them.”

“He’s my baby brother,” I said, my voice just above a whisper. “I’ve always taken care of him. My dad is acting so casual about all of this, like its completely normal for my brother to sprout fur and a tail and go to war with a supernatural creature. Like, what the fuck?”

Emily came to sit next to me. “It may be hard for you to understand but they love it. They love being werewolves. As long as there have been vampires there have been werewolves. They were literally created to destroy vampires. It’s not just your brother going out there. It’s Sam and Jacob and Jared and Paul and about fifteen others. They can handle it. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy for us because it isn’t. Every time Sam goes out the door I worry it’s the last time I’ll see him. But I know that the rest of the pack are looking out for him. Collin will be fine. Since he's so young, I doubt Sam will let him into danger just yet.”

“Can you promise that?” I finally asked.

“All I can promise is that he’s not alone. He will be taken care of.”

“I guess that’s good enough then,” I finally conceded. I gave her a weak smile.

She returned it, "Dinner's ready if you want to come eat."

I nodded and followed her to the kitchen. I guessed Sam went back out with the pack because he wasn't here anymore. Emily and I ate and talked, she asked me about my friends back in Seattle. So I told her about Kelly. We'd been friends since first grade when she stole my pencil and I shoved Play-Doh in her hair.

Emily smiled sadly and said, "Maybe you should call her and tell her a little about what's going on. You can't tell her about the vampires or werewolves obviously but you'll have to make something up about why you had to move so suddenly."

I shook my head, "Dad's taking care of all of that, so she'll probably call me when she hears about it." I finished with a yawn.

Emily laughed. "Maybe you should go upstairs and go to sleep."

"Sure thing. See you in the morning, Em."

"Night, dear!" She called to me. I got to my room and flopped down on my bed. I was almost asleep when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"You moved!?" Kelly's voice screeched at me.

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry, it was a last minute thing."

"I know, your dad told me that you guys had to move but he wouldn't say why, just something about a sick relative. Are you in La Push right now?"

"Yeah, I'm staying with a friend of the family," I said sleepily. I wasn't in the mood to do this right now, but I'd have to sooner or later.

Kelly was quiet for a while. "Well, you're not that far away, I can always drive down on the weekends and we can hang out."

I didn't think that would be such a good idea with all the wolves. So I said, "I don't think so. There is nothing to do here except go to the beach and trust me even that's nothing special. We can always meet up in Seattle or Port Angeles."

She laughed. "What the hell are you going to do then?"

"Fuck if I know. Go to Forks and throw rocks at townies," I said without humor. She laughed.

"Well, I guess I'll let you go since you sound like you're about to pass out," she said.

"I know, I'm so tired. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know if I magically find something to do."

"Love ya babe, night."

"Love you too, Kel," I said and hung up the phone. I dropped it onto the floor next to me and rolled over and went to sleep.


	4. Hard to See

_**"I'm growing so distant** _

_**Nothing makes sense to me anymore** _

_**I'm learning to resist** _

_**Becoming more than you ever were** _

_**Can't explain, what's come over me"** _

 

**(Ryvre's POV)**

The next few days passed pretty much the same as the first day. I did nothing except hang out with Emily and cook with her. She was teaching me because she said if I was going to be around the pack I'd have to know how to cook. It was a good way to bribe them. Apparently if you wanted anything heavy moved or something built all you had to do was dangle a cookie in their face and it was done.

I was sitting on the couch when the front door opened.

"Emily?" A voice called out I didn't recognize.

"Quil? What are you doing here?" she asked coming into the room. "Sam said you guys aren't allowed here so you don't bother Ryvre."

He shrugged. "I know. I'm supposed to be with Claire right now, but Sam wants me to patrol with Collin. So I need you to babysit Claire and Olivia till I get back," he said. He finally noticed me. "Oh, I heard Collin has a sister, you're her aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yup, my name's Ryvre."

He smiled. "I'm Quil.

Emily pointed to the little girls who had come in with Quil. These are my nieces, the oldest one is Olivia she's five. Little Claire is two."

I noticed that Quil was looking at Claire in a strange way. Not creepy, just like she was his whole world. So of course I had to ask, "Why are you looking at her like that?"

"Like what?" Quil asked.

"Like if she blows a spit bubble it's the best thing since the Mona Lisa," I said.

He smiled uneasily. "She's my imprint."

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, that's not weird.”

"It's not like that though, an imprint can be anything," he told me quickly.

I smiled, "I know. Sam already told me."

He breathed a sigh of relief and then his eyes widened, "Crap, I forgot about Sam!" He turned and ran out the door.

Emily shut it behind him. "Just to warn you, they're pretty much all like that."

"You mean nuts?" I asked.

She laughed. "Something like that."

For the rest of the afternoon, we played with the girls. They had Emily and I take turns singing and let me tell you, it's a good thing no one else was around or we would never hear the end of it. Finally the front door opened and Sam came in, he went straight for Emily, Quil was behind him, heading right for Claire. When Collin came in, he looked at Olivia, who was sitting on the floor. His eyes widened and he stared at her. I'd seen that look before when Quil looked at Claire and Sam looked at Emily.

"Um, Sam?" I said wearily.

"Yes, Ryvre?" he asked. I pointed to my brother.

"Oh good grief," Emily said putting her face in her hands. Sam laughed and led my brother back out the door.

I turned to Quil. "What just happened?"

He smirked. "You just witnessed what it's like for a wolf to imprint."

Sam and Collin came back in a few minutes later. Collin sat down on the floor with her and started to play with her dolls. He talked to her like he was a little girl too. They even had a tea party with Quil and Claire. I just watched in disbelief.

Emily sat down next to me and said, "Blows your mind doesn't it?"

I shook my head, "He just barely met this little five year old girl and suddenly she owns him? They don't even get a choice; they're just stuck together forever. Doesn't seem fair to me."

Emily nodded. "The wolf doesn't really get a choice. He has to be anything for his imprint. However, the imprint gets to choose whether she wants the wolf to be her friend, her brother or lover and the wolf is happy to be whatever the imprint wants."

I shook my head again and looked at her. "But they still don't have a choice. They have to be in each other's lives in some way or another, right?"

She nodded again. "Right now, Quil and Collin will be friends with the girls. When they grow up it is up to them."

I sighed heavily. "I don't like it. I mean you and Sam are insanely cute and Quil and Claire, well it's a little creepy but still cute, I just don't like the idea of having my choice being taken away from me."

She smiled. "Maybe you'll be lucky and none of the boys will imprint on you."

"Who all has imprinted?" I asked.

"Well, Sam imprinted on me, and Quil on Claire you know that. You just saw your brother imprint on Olivia. Also Jared imprinted on a girl named Kim Connweller, Seth imprinted on a girl named Hannah Monroe. You'll get to meet them all later," she said.

"Are the girls okay with all of this imprinting thing?" I asked.

"Well, Kim is okay with it, but Hannah doesn't know yet. She's not familiar with the legends so Seth hasn't told her yet. So whenever you do meet her try not to say anything that will give it away before Seth tells her."

"No problem, Emily," I said. Then I smiled, "Sweet so I'm in the know?" Emily nodded, smiling.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Emily got up and opened it. It was my dad. "Hey, Little Ryvre. How you doing?"

"Good, I like it here," I said honestly.

He smiled. "Good, Billy helped us get a house and your mom and I started moving in already. Go get your things, we'll head over there now." He looked down and noticed Collin sitting at a little table with Olivia. He had on a pink crown and was "drinking tea" from a teacup.

Collin looked up and noticed dad was giving him a questioning look. "Don't judge me," he said. Dad looked away. Sam started to explain what was happening so I got up and went to get my stuff. Emily followed behind to help me.

"You and Collin can come over anytime you want. Well, I know he'll be over since the pack hangs out here the most and they're just dying because Sam wouldn't let them come over." She laughed. "But you come over anytime to talk or just hang out and help me cook. I'll miss having someone around with me all day." She sighed.

I smiled at her. "Dad's signing me up for school soon. So I probably won't see you very often." I sighed. She smiled at me.

"Well, you're welcome over anytime and I mean that. Just come on over don't worry about the time, someone is always here and always up."

We finished packing my stuff and went into the living room. Collin and dad took my stuff out to my car. I hugged Emily.

"Thank you for letting me stay here for the week. I'll come back over as soon as I can," I promised.

She hugged me back. "It was lovely to have you here, come back soon honey," she said.

I pulled away and got into my car while dad and Collin got into dad's. We waved to Emily as we pulled out of the driveway. I followed dad to our new house that was located very close to the beach. I could see it as soon as I stepped out of my car. When I went inside the house, mom took me up to my room.

Mom and dad had our furniture delivered so all of our stuff was here already. I spent the rest of the day moving my stuff around and making it feel like home. Surprisingly, it did. As much as I missed Seattle, I really felt like La Push was where my heart belonged.

That night, we had dinner at our dining room table. Dad questioned us about how we liked La Push so far and how we liked Emily and the pack. After dinner, Collin mentioned he had to go patrol.

"Question: what exactly does that mean? Like, you say you have to patrol but is that just an excuse to go party all night." I elbowed my brother. 

He elbowed back. "Actually, Sam has us guarding this girl's house. Some of us go to her house and a few of us actually run the La Push border to make sure no vampires cross over."

"What girl?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Her name is Bella." Collin shrugged. "I don't know much about her except she dates a vampire who is actually a good guy but Jake is in love with her. Sam has someone outside of our house too, just to make sure the vamps don't somehow make it to the house to get you."

This weirded me out a little. "How would they get to the house with you guys all out there? Swim?" I started to laugh but stopped. "Can vampires swim?"

"They would probably be really good at it," Collin replied. "Not breathing and all."

"So if they knew where I lived they could just jump into the ocean and swim to First Beach?" The image in my head was comical, if not a little scary.

"See, you need protection," Collin pointed out. "I think it's Embry out there tonight."

"Haven't met him." I shrugged.

"You will. I gotta go." With that, he disappeared out the back door.

Mom, dad and I settled into the living room then. 

"I think being a werewolf suits him," mom decided.

"Because that's a completely normal and not at all unusual thing to say," I replied, giving her a side eye. My phone rang then, interrupting our movie. I looked at the caller ID, it was Emily. I answered with a pleasant, "Hello, Em."

"Hi, dear, how are you liking your new house?" she asked.

"A lot, it's right near the beach," I told her.

"Sounds convenient. I guess the next time we have a bonfire, we'll cook at your house," she said, laughing. "Listen, do you think your mom would mind if I threw you guys a house warming party? You could have the entire pack over so you could meet them all at once along with the imprints and elders. Plus you'll be starting school soon and you should get to know the boys so they can show you around."

I looked at mom, "Well, my mom's right here do you want to talk to her?"

Mom quirked an eyebrow as Emily said, "Yes, if she's not busy." I handed over the phone to mom and listened to her side of the conversation. Mom hung up my phone and handed it back to me.

"Looks like Emily is throwing us a housewarming party here tomorrow night," she said, smiling. "Emily's a sweetheart, isn't she?"

I nodded. "She's great. Sam's a whacko but Em's nice." Dad laughed and mom gave me a disapproving glance. A little while later, I retreated to my room and went to sleep.


	5. In Too Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul makes his appearance.

_**"With everything you've got did you find what you need?** _

_**Gone too far to stop, oh are you in too deep?** _

_**Take a look around is that what you wanted** _

_**Never thought in a thousand years you'd be right here"** _

 

**(Ryvre's POV)**

The next day, mom had me running around the house cleaning things, while Collin moved things into wherever she wanted them to be. She started making cookies while Collin and I finished putting things into place. Around four, Emily showed up with Sam. Sam helped Collin move the furniture and hang pictures, while Emily helped my mom cook. Finally mom sent me upstairs to shower and change.

As soon as I was done with my shower, Collin came barreling into the bathroom. I only narrowly escaped before he took his pants off. "You jackass, couldn't you wait until I was out before you came running in?" I questioned. His answer was muffled so I ignored him and went into my room to put some clothes on. I heard voices downstairs so I figured there were people already here. Wonderful.

My clothes were packed up in plastic totes in the corner of my room. Just the thought of trying to dig through them made me gag. I pulled the lid off of one and grabbed the thing on top. It turned out to be a brightly colored halter dress that flowed just to the top of my knees. I quickly plugged in the hair dryer. Couldn’t meet a bunch of guys looking like a drowned rat.

I had just turned it off and was running the brush through my hair when there was a knock on my door. "Come in," I called. The door opened and Emily entered with a few girls behind her.

She smiled. "You look so pretty!"

I smiled back. "Thanks, so do you." And she did. The white sundress she wore stood out beautifully against her skin.

She blushed and said, "I wanted you to meet the girls beforehand. Well, the special ones that is." She gave me a pointed look so I figured these were the imprints. I nodded in understanding.

She turned to the girls. "This is Kim Connweller, Jared's girlfriend." She pointed to a small girl who was pretty in her own way. She was small, about five-three at the most. Her eyes were a little small for her face, but she was pretty nonetheless.

“And this is Seth's girlfriend, Hannah Monroe." So this was the one who didn't know yet. She was even smaller than Kim. Only about five-one, if that. She had brown eyes and black hair, she was Quileute also.

I waved to the girls. "I'm Ryvre by the way. You probably already know that, but hi anyway."

Kim smiled. "Yeah, everyone's talking about you downstairs."

Hannah turned to Emily, "Aren't you going to introduce her to the other girls?"

"What other girls?" I asked.

Emily said, "Well, Brady has a date with him named Kristy, but she's not his girlfriend. And Paul, well he has a different girl everyday, so it's no use learning her name. She won't be with him the next time you see him anyway."

"Well that's true," Hannah agreed.

“Jake has a friend with him as well, her name is Bella. She’s not his girlfriend though,” Kim said with a frown.

Emily grabbed my hand, "Anyway, are you done up here? Can we go join the others now?"

"Well, I need to find shoes…." I said.

"Forget about them, it's your house you can go barefoot. Plus I think your outfit looks cuter without shoes," she said smiling. The other girls agreed so I went downstairs behind Emily.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, mom came over to us, "You girls need to go in the kitchen and eat before I let the boys in. Collin and another boy have been sniffing around the back door for the past twenty minutes. I don’t know how much longer I can hold them off."

Hannah looked a little intimidated by my mom. I mean, sure my mom was so gorgeous it should be illegal, but she's only like five-two. I could throw her. Or maybe she looked intimidated because my mom was talking a mile a minute and was waving a spatula as she rambled. I smiled at my weirdo mom and led the girls into the kitchen, where Collin watched us eat from the doorway.

Mom came in a few minutes later with some other girls with her. "Ryvre, this is Sue Clearwater, she's Leah and Seth's mom. And this is Kristy, she's Brady's girlfriend, Jake’s friend Bella and this is Nikki, she's Paul's date."

Leah leaned over and whispered, "More like his flavor of the night." I bit my lip to keep from laughing and then I looked the girls over. I hadn't even been properly introduced to Leah but I already liked her. 

Kristy was a very pretty girl, she was Quileute and small like the other girls, standing about five-four and had black hair and brown eyes. Bella was pretty plain looking: pale skin, brown eyes and hair. Nikki on the other hand, was obviously from Forks. She was about five-two with blond hair and blue eyes.

Kristy smiled at me and said a warm hello. Nikki barely looked at me, too busy looking at something on her phone. Well, good thing she won't be around too long if what Emily said was true. The girls ate with us at the table. Kristy talked with us happily and I felt a little bad she wasn't Brady's imprint. She was so sweet. Now if I could only meet the boys these women were so enamored with. 

Sam appeared in the doorway. "Can we eat yet?" he whined.

Mom nodded, "Yes, yes,yes, Mr. Uley. Ladies, scatter before the wolves descend on us." She laughed at her own joke as she stood up, waving her hands at us. Emily, Kim and myself followed her into the living room. The other girls went outside to sit with the boys while they ate.

As soon as we sat down, mom turned to the girls, "So you're the imprints then?"

Emily nodded. "Yeah, Hannah's an imprint also but she doesn't know about it yet."

“Do you like being imprints? What’s it like?” mom asked.

“It’s like being worshipped,” Kim gloated.

I rolled my eyes. "Gag."

Emily smiled. “Every wolf and imprint relationship is different. Jared and Kim fell in love immediately. Hannah actually had a boyfriend so she and Seth started off as good friends until she decided she felt more for him. They’ve only been dating about two or three weeks.”

“What about you and Sam?”

She shifted uncomfortably. “Sam was dating my cousin, Leah. He imprinted on me and it tore them apart. He tried to only be my friend. As time went on I admit that I fell in love with him and he chose to break things off with Leah to be with me. It makes it really hard for her to be around us now.” She looked down, the guilt was clear on her features.

“She still hangs around?” I blurted.

“Well, she has to. She’s part of the pack,” Emily explained.

Mom's eyes became panicked. "Girls can phase too?" She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"She’s the first girl to phase, actually."

Mom nodded, sharing her sad look and glancing at me again. Please don't tell me I'm going to become a werewolf. I have a bad enough temper without turning into a wolf if I get angry enough.

Dad came into the room then, "Hey Ryvre, come out and meet the boys."

I sighed. “Do I have to?” The girls all stood up with me and we went into the backyard together. When we got outside, the girls left me to go stand next to their wolf. Dad looked at me and said, "Okay guys, you wanted to meet my daughter, well, here she is. My daughter, Ryvre. Ryvre, these are the boys, I think you met Quil." He waved at me and smiled.

"This is Billy, Jacob's dad, Quil Sr., he's Quil's dad. This is Embry, Jacob, Brady, Paul, Seth, and Jared." Dad told me. I looked at all the boys in turn, trying to remember the face that went with the name. When I looked at Paul, I froze. It felt like the whole world shifted between us. Invisible cords were wrapped around my heart trying to pull me to him. His dark brown eyes bored into mine, I'd never seen a man so gorgeous.

"Oh no." I heard Emily say, her voice sounded a million miles away.

I blinked several times. Paul and I realized what had just happened at the exact same moment.

"NO!" He screamed. "No, no, no, no, no. This is not happening. There is no fucking way in hell that this is happening!" Nikki looked at him, surprised.

"Baby what's wrong?" she asked, placing a hand on his arm.

He jerked his arm away. "Don't touch me!" he snapped. She recoiled, tears forming in her eyes.

"Paul," Sam warned him.

Paul wasn't finished though. "You know what, I have girls, okay. Plenty of them and just because you came along does not mean I'm just going to stop seeing my girls."

Anger bubbled in my chest. I spoke up now. "Will you stop your fucking whining already? You think I want to be stuck with you, the fucking man-whore of La Push? Get over yourself because guess what? I don't want you either and I sure as fuck don't need anything from you!"

He sneered at me. "Good, we can just pretend this never happened."

"Thank god for that," I said, leaning up against the wall.

I hear Quil next to me say, "God help us all there's two of them!"

I glared at him and he shut up. Nikki spoke up from next to Paul, "Okay, what are we pretending never happened?"

"Nothing. Didn't you hear?" I said, glaring at her now.

She narrowed her eyes at me, and said, "I wasn't asking you, I was asking my boyfriend."

"Ha, not for long," Leah scoffed.

Paul snarled, "Don't talk to her like that." He was looking at Nikki, though, not Leah. "And I'm not your boyfriend. We fuck and that's all. Don't call me your boyfriend because I'm no one's boyfriend and I never will be anyone's boyfriend, okay? Got that? Nikki we need to leave." He stood up, pulling a confused Nikki with him.

I saw Brady leaving with Kristy right then. Obviously getting the non-imprints out of here. I huffed. "I'm stuck with that asshole for life?"

Sam smirked. "He can be anything you want him to be. He'll only be there as long as you want him there."

I rolled my eyes. "Good, tell him I don't want him around me. Ever." With that, I turned and went up to my room. I vaguely heard Hannah ask what was going on. I mentally laughed. Good luck with that one, Seth! I thought as I flopped down on my bed. I give him points for being gorgeous. Too bad he's a fucktard and I'm stuck with him no matter what. Fuck my life.


	6. Crawl Away

_**"You crawled away from me.** _

_**Slipped away from me.** _

_**I tried to keep a hold,** _

_**but there was nothing I could say."** _

 

(Paul's POV)

I stormed out of the house with Nikki on my heels. "Paul baby, what's wrong?" she asked.

I gritted my teeth when she called me 'baby' but I said nothing. With every step I took away from the house I felt this pull on my heart telling me to go back. I knew it was the imprint telling me to go back where I belonged, and that was with Ryvre, but there wasn't a chance in hell that was happening.

We got to my house and went straight upstairs. I would break the imprint if it was the last thing I did. Nikki laid down across my bed in a seductive pose. A few hours ago I would have been all over her ass.

"Come on over here and let me take care of you," she said in a husky voice. Yesterday this would instantly make me dick hard and I'd end up fucking her brains out like there was no tomorrow. I was soft though. Nikki huffed when I didn't move and she slid off my bed onto her knees in front of me. She undid my zipper and pulled out my embarrassingly soft dick. There was a hot girl touching me and I had zero reaction to it.

She wrapped her hand around my cock, "What's wrong Paul? Did I do something?" she asked. I jerked away from her and put my dick back in my pants and shook my head. I grabbed her face and pulled her up so that I could kiss her.

Her hands went into my hair and her tongue entered my mouth. She wrapped her legs around my waist and ground her pussy against me. Nothing happened. I sighed into her mouth and set her down, breaking the kiss.

"You should just go," I said angrily. I couldn't do this. It felt wrong, so wrong. Something inside me made me feel like I was cheating the imprint. Now I felt guilty that I could do something like that to my imprint. The hurt in Nikki's eyes didn't phase me at all. I just wanted her gone already.

She blinked. "Okay. I'll see you later," she said and walked out my door, I slammed it behind her. What the fuck is wrong with me? Well, I know what's wrong with me. Imprinting. If I hadn't imprinted then I would be banging the shit of Nikki right now.

I flopped back on my bed. I didn't want to feel like this anymore. I hated the fact that Ryvre was my life now. I hadn't even said a single nice word to her, but I belonged to her. Of course, she said she didn't want it either so maybe it was okay for me to date other girls. If I could, that is.

Despite the storm of emotions around my heart I ended up falling asleep after that. The next day, I patrolled with Collin. He was thinking about a fight he had with Ryvre over something stupid. I kept seeing her beautiful face in his mind and I almost felt compelled to ask him about her. I didn't though. I kept my mouth shut and listened to his thoughts. After patrol, I went home to get ready for school. Can't say I was looking forward to that, but I had to go. Sam would be on my ass if I didn't go. I did the good little wolf thing and went to school like I was supposed to.

My day did not get off to a good start. I was in the parking lot with Jared and the rest of the pack.

Embry asked, "Where's Collin?"

Jared answered, "Getting a ride with Ryvre probably." My heart skipped beat at the sound of her name and I clenched my teeth. I hated that my body reacted that way without my permission.

The pull on my heart compelled me to turn around. When I did, I saw Collin and Ryvre walking towards the school. Jared called out to Collin, who came over to join our group. Kim called to Ryvre. She started to come over but stopped when she saw me, then she just waved and kept walking. Thank god.

I saw a few guys were staring at Ryvre as she walked in. Clenching my teeth again, I turned back to the group, only to realize I had been staring at her too long. Everyone was staring at me. "What?" I snapped.

Jacob smirked, "Oh nothing, just wondering why you're staring at Ryvre if you don't want to be with her. It's just weird is all."

I glared at him. "You know what you little prick, just fuck off okay? I don't need your bullshit today so just shut the fuck up."

“You can’t fight it forever!” Jared told me.

Before I could answer, two arms wrapped around my waist and I cringed. "Hey baby," a shrill voice said. I looked down and sighed. Amy. I'd forgotten about Amy.

"What do you want?" I snapped, moving out of her grip.

She looked shocked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes. Now fuck off," I said and walked into the school building. I could hear Kim laughing behind me as I walked. I went straight to my first period class, sitting down just as the bell rang. People started filing into the room then.

A Quileute girl, who I'm sure I've fucked before, ended up sitting to the left of me. She kept staring at me and giving me goo-goo eyes. I ignored her, causing her to pout. Once the final bell rang, I sighed with relief that Ryvre wasn't in this class. That all came crashing down when the door flew open and she waltzed in, shoving a piece of paper in our teacher's face.

"Sorry, dude. I'm new and got lost," she said.

Our teacher, Mr. Long, smiled, "Class, this is our new student, Ryvre Phoenix." He looked around and then pointed to the empty desk to my right. "Have a seat back there next to Paul."

Ryvre turned to glare at me as she walked to the desk. Someone in Heaven hates me.

**(Ryvre's POV)**

I was not looking forward to school in the slightest. I knew that Paul would be there and I couldn't escape him here. I didn't even want to be near him at all. The strange pull on my heart when he was around was starting to piss me off.

When Collin and I got to school, he went off to join the boys. Kim called to me but I didn't want to be near Paul, so I just waved and went inside. She and Hannah shared looks of disappointment. I guess they wanted me to be a wolf girl like them. Yeah, not happening.

I got my schedule from the office and walked to my locker. The bell rang as I was wandering through the halls. Fucking schools and their fucking hallways! I finally found my first class and went in late. I pushed the door open too hard and shoved a piece of paper in the teacher's face.

"Sorry, dude. I'm new and got lost," I explained. I heard a few snickers of laughter around the room.

The teacher was about my height and had a belly on him. He had brown hair, skin and eyes. Round glasses sat on his nose. I expected him to snap at me about my entrance, but instead he smiled at me. "Class, this is our new student, Ryvre Phoenix." He looked around the room and pointed to an empty desk. "Have a seat in the back next to Paul."

I took the paper from him and turned to glare at Paul as I walked to the desk. What the fuck kind of bullshit is this?

At the end of class, the bell rang and Paul all but ran out of the room. I gathered my stuff and looked at my schedule to see my next class.

"Need some help?" A soft voice asked.

I looked up to see a Quileute girl standing in front of me. She was about five-five and had shoulder length black hair. Her eyes were green with a ring of brown around her pupils. Pretty girl all in all.

I nodded, "Yeah. I have not a fucking clue where to go."

She smiled. "Well, I'll help. I'm Sarah by the way," she said, taking my schedule from me. "Your next class is with me, so let's go." She smiled. I smiled back and followed her out the door.

Unfortunately, my next class was also with Paul. He glared at me from the second I walked in the door. I just smiled sweetly back at him. His glare faltered a bit and I saw a hint of a smile in his eyes. Then the glare was back in place full force.

"What's he got against you?" Sarah asked, eyeing Paul.

I smiled evilly. "We're betrothed."

Paul's mouth dropped open as did Sarah's. "What?" she asked.

"Well, my father is on the council and sometimes if a man on the council has a daughter, they choose a Quileute boy for his daughter to marry when she graduates," I said. "It's one of the reasons we moved down here. So that Paulie-boy over there could be closer to me. He needs me in a lot of ways."

She blinked. "I didn't know that still happened in the tribe. Wow. But you don't like him?"

I shook my head. "He's an ass. Believe me, I don't want him anymore than he wants me. But, it's tribal law," I said.

Sarah nodded again. "Wow."

I looked over and smiled at Paul again. He was livid.

Sarah asked, "When are you guys getting married?"

I shrugged. "I'm fighting this whole thing, so I doubt it'll be anytime soon."

Our teacher walked in the room just then and got class started. I could already tell she and I were not going to get along. She reminded everyone that our project would begin today. "Paul, you were absent yesterday when we picked partners so you'll be with Ryvre. I'll be with you in a minute to give you your history topic."

Everyone started to move around and push desks together then. Paul was sitting in the back corner of the room, waiting for me, glaring at me as I walked slowly down the aisle.

"Why did you tell her you and I are betrothed?" he demanded when I sat down.

"Wanted to," I said not looking at him.

"Don't you realize she's going to say something to other people and I won't be able to get a date because people think I'm bound to you or something?"

"Don't care."

He huffed. "Well, I care. I want to be able to go out with other girls, you know."

"So do it." I was done listening to him now. He continued to whine about what I'd said and I continued to ignore him. When the bell rang, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.


	7. Permanence

_**"Scarred and scared you crawl across** _

_**Everything is as no one thought and** _

_**Echoes cover your spirit size"** _

 

 

**(Ryvre's POV)**

Unfortunately, Sarah wasn't in my next class and hers was on the other side of the school, so she couldn't help me find mine. Paul, however, was in my third period class. I walked in and went to find my seat.

As I walked past him I stopped, "What, are you in every one of my classes?"

"Yup. Looks like you're always stuck with me," he said smiling at me.

"You could at least help me find my classes, you know. It might make you appear gentlemanly to all your potential conquests." I walked to an empty desk in the back. He turned around to glare at me, but I just smiled.

Another boring class with a boring teacher drowning on about something I didn't care about. I sighed softly and took out my schedule and map. Looking at it, I realized my next class was on the other side of school, great.

When the bell rang, I called, "Paul." He turned around with a glare and I put on my best puppy dog eyes. He softened a little. "Can you show me where my next class is? I keep getting lost."

"Um, okay." He sighed in defeat. I followed him out in the hall. I decided not to chance it and stayed silent as we walked to class. Paul was tense and didn't even look my way.

As we walked in the room, I said, "Thanks." He nodded and walked away.

I sat in the back next to a bitchy looking girl. Looking at her again, I realized it was Nikki. She glared at me. "You know, Paul broke up with me after we left your house the other night."

I looked at her blankly. "And?"

She rolled her eyes and was about to say something, but the teacher cut her off. She glared at me throughout the entire period. I just smiled back every time. A few times, I looked up and caught Paul smiling at our exchanges, but then he'd glare at me too.

The bell rang and I left the room, walking to the cafeteria for lunch. Sarah met me in the hallway. "Hey, need some help finding the cafeteria?" she asked.

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah, for a school so small it sure is confusing."

She smiled back. "Yeah, it's a little complex at first. So do you want to sit with me?"

"Sure," I answered.

"Great!" She smiled. Sarah led me into the room and we got our food, then sat down at a table full of people. "Guys this is Ryvre," she said. "Ryvre, this is Christine, Erica, Miranda, Andrew and Brittany."

Everyone smiled at me as I sat down. There was a tap on my shoulder. I looked up into the eyes of Kim. She smiled. "Hey, I thought maybe you'd want to sit with us." She pointed to a table where Jared, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Hannah, Paul, Collin and Brady were sitting.

I shook my head, "You know what, I think I'll just stay here. Nothing against you or Hannah it's just, I have every class with Paul and I need some time away from him." I saw a flash of hurt in Paul's eyes before he masked it with anger.

Sarah laughed next to me. "Better get used to him, after all you're stuck together right?"

I sighed. "Yeah."

Kim looked panicked. "What does she mean?"

Sarah looked up, "Oh, Ryvre told me she and Paul are betrothed."

Kim looked back at me and then laughed. "Yup, you're stuck with him alright." She smiled and then walked over to sit with the group. I smiled at Hannah and turned back to the group I was sitting with.

When the bell rang, I went to my next class that luckily, I had with Sarah and unfortunately, Paul.

I was forced to sit behind Paul in that class. I was tired so I laid my head down on the desk. It seemed like a good idea, but it turned out to be a horrible idea. In the process of laying my head down, I started to breathe in Paul's scent. He smelled like rain and pine trees, with a manly edge to it. He smelled like a man. His scent comforted me and I ended up falling asleep. A gentle shaking woke me. I looked up to find Paul standing over me. He smiled a little, "Class is over, now. Thought you might want to go to gym instead of staying here all night."

Our eyes locked and I smiled. "Thanks for waking me up."

His smile dropped off his face and he cleared his throat. "Yeah." Then he walked away. I stared after him for a minute. Did he actually do something nice for me?

I shook my head and walked off to gym class, getting lost a few times along the way. When I got there, Paul was back to being an ass to me.

The final bell rang, signaling it was time to go. When I walked out of the gym, Collin was waiting on me.

He huffed. "God could you be any slower?"

I immediately slowed my pace. "You know what, maybe I can."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm, pulling me out to the parking lot. "Okay, ow Collin, that fucking hurts!" I snapped.

"Collin, let her go!" A voice yelled behind us. Collin dropped my arm and we both spun around to find Paul glaring at him and shaking.

"Don't tell me what to do, Paul. She's my sister," Collin snapped.

"Yeah, she's my imprint," Paul shot back.

"And she doesn't want you, so fuck off!" Collin retorted.

"Hey!" I said, pinching his ear.

"What?" He looked back at me.

"Don't curse." I said and then walked back to the car. I saw the hurt in Paul's eyes again, before he once again covered it up with anger. He probably thought I was going to defend him against my brother, but what Collin said was the truth. I didn't want to be an imprint, I didn't want to be bound to someone just because that person had took a fleeting glimpse at me. I certainly didn't want that someone to be a womanizing asshole. I didn't want Paul, plain and simple.

I got into the car with Collin and we drove home. "Thanks, bro," I said.

He waved me off. "No problem. I thought you made it clear to him you didn't want him, but he's stubborn and will never learn." He tensed for a second. "By the way, Sam and dad want me to take you to the Cullen's before we go home. You need to meet them."

“Who the hell are the Cullens?”

“No one told you?” he asked.

“If I said, who the hell are the Cullens,’ then it’s safe to assume no one has told me about them,” I replied.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, they’re a family of vampires.”

“They’re a family of what now?” I looked sideways at him.

“They’re like, some vegetarian vamps or something, I don’t know. They don’t drink human blood and they have a truce with the wolves. We’re working with them to figure out the vampire problem in Seattle. Apparently they have something to do with it.”

“This just keeps getting better and better. Where do they live?”

He reached in his pocket. "Sam gave me their address last night after patrol. He didn't want Paul to know we were going. He'd just freak out about having you there with only one wolf protecting you. Whether he wants you or not, he still wants you safe."

Imprinting is weird. I huffed and looked at the paper, then started driving towards Forks. A little while later, we pulled up to an expensive looking house. Seven vampires stood on the front lawn waiting for us.

I climbed out of the car. "Sup, vamps?" I asked.

The biggest one with curly black hair laughed. "I like you already." He stepped forward, but the blonde girl next to him grabbed his arm.

Collin smiled at them. "Well, this is my sister, the infamous Ryvre."

Infamous? What?

The bronze haired male smiled at me. "We've heard a lot about you from the other wolves." Ah, so that makes you the mind reader, I thought. He nodded. "Yes, I'm Edward Cullen." He held his hand out for me to shake, then turned to the others, "This is Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme and Carlisle."

I waved to everyone. "What's going on everyone?"

Emmett smiled and looked at Carlisle. "Can we keep her?"

Collin growled. Edward tensed. "Paul imprinted on her."

Emmett sighed, "Ooh, Paul huh? Tough break."

"You're telling me," I answered.

Carlisle spoke up, "I guess you're wondering why you're here. Well, your father tells us that when you were living in Seattle you saw some vampires in the mall, what did they look like? You can just think of them and Edward will see."

I thought of the vampires I saw. "What exactly did they say?" Edward asked in a tight voice. I replayed the scene for him. He cursed under his breath.

"What is it Edward?" Carlisle asked.

"She saw Victoria and a male. Ryvre's blood sings to the male. He nearly attacked her in the mall, but Victoria stopped him and promised they'd find her somehow."

Esme sucked in a sharp breath. "Is Ryvre what Victoria's after?"

Alice nodded. "I think so. I can't see because of the wolves, but I think so."

Carlisle sighed. "Do the wolves know about this?"

Collin shook his head. "They know what happened in Seattle, but they don't know it was Victoria."

Carlisle said, "We'll have to tell them then. Collin, could you go phase and let them know we need to have a meeting. We'll take Ryvre to the clearing and wait for them."

Collin hesitated, "I'm not sure I'm supposed to leave her alone. Sam and Paul will have my ass.”

I rolled my eyes. "I'll be fine, Collin, just go. And tell Paul if he has a problem with it I said to go sit on a pinecone."

Emmett laughed as Collin ran off. Carlisle clapped his hands together, "Well then. Shall we go? Ryvre, you'll have to ride on someone's back to get there."

Emmett stepped up, "I'll take her!" I smiled and jumped on his back.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yup, Giddyup!" I cheered happily.

Emmett took off into the trees. The wind in my face was exhilarating. It was an amazing ride that ended too soon. When we got to the clearing, Emmett sat me down and I groaned.

He laughed. "I'll carry you back, don't worry."

The wolves weren't here yet so we had to wait. Collin came to stand next to me in his human form. “So you all know Victoria?” I asked, to pass the time.

“Yes, unfortunately we’ve crossed paths before,” Carlisle answered. He quickly explained what had happened with James.

“So what she really wants is to kill Bella? That’s why she’s turning all those people in Seattle. Riley just wants to crack my neck open for a victory drink?”

“No, we will not let him get to you,” Esme promised.

I looked away, suddenly feeling very cold. After a few minutes of waiting, the wolves came through the trees, all in human form. Even from across the clearing I could see the fury in Paul's eyes as he saw me standing with Emmett, who now had his arm across my shoulders.

Paul glared at Emmett and even I could feel the intensity of his glare. Emmett, however, just smiled like the big goof he is.


	8. Suffragette City

 

_**"Don't lean on me man, 'cause you can't afford the ticket** _

_**I'm back on Suffragette City** _

_**Don't lean on me man,** _

_**'Cause you ain't got time to check it** _

_**You know my Suffragette City** _

_**Is outta sight... she's all right"** _

 

**(Paul's POV)**

I couldn't believe that Ryvre was a bloodsucker's singer. My imprint's blood sang to a bloodsucker. And not just any bloodsucker, but a bloodsucker that was working with another bloodsucker to build an army of newborns to come attack us. Fuck me. I had to imprint on the girl with the hot bod and singing blood.

Like the asshole I was, I stood in one spot and glared at Ryvre and Emmett. Didn't Emmett have a mate or something? Shouldn't he have his arm around his own mate or something, why the hell does he have to rub his bloodsucker stench all over my imprint?

Glaring proved ineffective, since Ryvre and Emmett just smiled back at me. Sam and Carlisle were speaking about something when I realized something.

"How did Ryvre get out here?" I asked.

Sam gave me a disapproving look for interrupting him, but I ignored him and looked over at the Cullen's.

Carlisle shifted uncomfortably and said, "Emmett brought her."

I felt a quiver go down my spine and the familiar warmth, signaling my change was near. "Brought her how?" My voice was hard and void of emotion, I was surprised I managed that.

Ryvre hopped on Emmett's back and said, "Piggy style, baby."

Emmett's booming laughter and both of their smiling faces was too much for me. My shaking increased with my building anger, the heat spread from my spine throughout my body. I vaguely heard Sam telling me to calm down, but fuck that; I'm past calm at this point. I exploded into a wolf.

Sam yelled for me to go in the woods until he was done speaking with the Cullen's, but I refused. I just plopped my furry ass on the ground and stayed where I was. Sam shook his head and turned away from me.

I tried my best not to look in Ryvre's direction, seeing as how she was still on Emmett's back and currently braiding his hair. Sam gave us the signal that we could leave, so I turned and ran into the woods, leaving everyone behind me.

Soon, I reached Ryvre's house. I phased into my human form just inside the woods and realized I didn't have any clothes. Fuck it, I thought. I climbed the tree next to Collin's window. I opened the window and climbed through.

As I was shutting the window, I looked down at the tree and suddenly had some terrible images of sliding back down in the nude. I shivered and went over to Collin's dresser. I was not getting bark-burn on my hiney.

I slipped on a pair of his basketball shorts. I opened the door and started to go to Ryvre's room, but then I realized I didn't know which room was hers. I wasn't some creep like Jared hanging outside of Kim's window every night. I never understood why a wolf would hang outside his imprint's window. Why not just, you know, go in? Duh. I quietly opened doors until I found Ryvre's room.

Being in my imprint's bedroom was….comforting somehow. It felt nice being in here, I felt warm inside. I clenched my teeth, dammit, I don't want to feel this way. I looked around the room and went over to her stereo. This could be interesting, I thought. She had her iPod plugged into her stereo, so she likes it loud, I see. I picked up her iPod and looked through her music.

Hmmm, she likes Lacuna Coil, Halestorm, Arch Enemy, Otep, Kittie, and lots of other angry screaming girls. I flipped through some more and found Pantera. I laughed to myself as I selected "Cowboys from Hell". I pressed pause and turned the volume on her stereo all the way up. I put her iPod down and then climbed out her window. Her and Collin would be home soon and I didn't want to get caught in her room.

I hid in the woods until she got home. She and Collin were arguing about something as they went in the house. Collin stayed in the kitchen, naturally and Ryvre went upstairs. She was talking to herself about something, but I couldn't hear her. Great, my imprint's crazy, too.

When she got to her room, she dropped her bag on the floor. I could hear her better now. "Collin, you're fucking crazy, I can't give Paul a chance. He's too volatile. I mean, geez, all I said was piggy style and he lost his shit, was I the only one who saw that?"

"Don't you think that maybe you were provoking him, just a little?" Collin replied.

"No," Ryvre said. A second later her bedroom door shut. She continued to rant to herself, "Fucking insane people here. Why the hell is this in my floor? What the fuck is this thing? Fucking Collin leaving shit in here again, I swear I'll kick his ass. Or I'll find a wolf who'll kick his ass, I'm sure Quil or Embry would be happy to do it for me. If not I just get Emmett. Of course there's always Paul, who everyone thinks is my wolf, not that he'd do anything for me anyway. He's just so mean. I need a shower. Damn, where's my iPod? I swear if Collin, oh there it is. Who moved it? I- AUGH!"

I found myself laughing and then shaking from Ryvre's rant; did she really think I wouldn't do her a favor? I wondered that myself, actually. If she asked me to do something for her, would I? I was so lost in that question, I completely forgot about the music being up loud.

Her stereo was really, really loud. So loud that when she pressed play, I barely heard her scream as the music blasted from the speakers. My hands covered my ears, but it didn't help much. Ryvre hastily turned down the volume.

"What the fuck was that?" she yelled.

Collin ran up the stairs and into her room. "What the hell?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just pressed play and it was that loud," she said.

"Paul," Collin said.

"What?" Ryvre asked.

"Paul was here, I can smell him."

"You can smell him? Ew, that's so gross. I feel for you, brother. Now you can get out, I'd like to sleep," Ryvre said.

"What about Paul?" Collin asked.

Ryvre sighed. "What about him? I'll get him back for this, don't worry."

I heard Collin leave the room and that's when I took my leave. I ran off toward my house. I wanted to laugh at the prank I'd just pulled on Ryvre, normally if Jared or I did this to each other, we laughed. It's always funny when we do it to someone else, but Ryvre is my imprint. As much as the human inside me wants to laugh, the wolf inside me won't let me. I wanted to run back and apologize to her and maybe give her a present, but the human in me wouldn't allow that either.

When I reached my house, I went up to my room and lay down on my bed. Can the human in me and the wolf in me ever agree on one thing? Since the wolf in me wants Ryvre, and the human in me wants a choice, I don't think I'll ever find peace.


	9. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

 

_**"Should I stay or should I go now?** _

_**Should I stay or should I go now?** _

_**If I go there will be trouble** _

_**And if I stay it will be double** _

_**So you gotta let me know** _

_**Should I cool it or should I go?** _

__

**(Ryvre's POV)**

"Collin, move your fat ass!" I yelled, even though I didn't need to. He could hear me if I just said it, but he had kept me waiting long enough. "We're going to be late!" I yelled up to him.

"Stop yelling! I can hear you, okay!" He yelled back to me. I rolled my eyes and tapped my nails against the counter.

He stumbled into the kitchen a few minutes later and grabbed two boxes of pop tarts from the cabinet.

"Okay, we can go," he said, shoving one into his mouth.

"Finally. Hey, give me one of those," I said, grabbing my bag and heading for the door.

He hugged the box closer to him and shook his head. "Mine!"

"Okay, then." I leaned down and pulled off my tennis shoe. I raised it and hit Collin over the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He asked, looking at me wide eyed.

"For depriving me of breakfast this week, now give me a damn pop-tart," I demanded. He quickly pulled one out of the box and handed it to me. "Thank you, baby brother," I said sweetly.

He rolled his eyes and followed me out the front door. When we arrived at school, Collin went off to join the pack in the same spot they were yesterday. Kim waved me over, but I just waved back and went inside the building. I saw her frown as I went in and I felt a little bad. I liked Kim and the rest of the girls, I just wanted to befriend them on my own terms, not because we were forced to.

I went into my first period class to wait for the bell to ring. Unfortunately for me, Paul had the same idea. He walked in the room ten minutes before the bell. He stopped in his tracks when he saw me, I could almost see him arguing with himself.

His eyes darted between me and the door. 'Should I stay, should I go? Stay, go, stay, go?' I giggled at my mental commentary. He looked up and eyed me like I was nuts. Then he sighed and walked over and took his seat next to me. I could swear he mumbled something about imprinting on a psycho, but I decided to let that go for now.

We were doing a fairly good job of ignoring each other until Paul asked, "So you and Emmett seemed to be getting along nicely yesterday."

"Uh-huh. He's goofy," I said.

"He's a bloodsucker," Paul spat.

"And you're a werewolf," I retorted, my head snapping to face him.

Hurt passed through his eyes quickly, but he covered it up instantly. Then his eyes were blazing with anger. He started to shake. I turned to face the front of the room as more students began entering in the room.

Paul gained control over himself and the class passed without him bothering me again. When the bell rang, I went to my next class. Paul glared at me when I entered the room, but I only smiled.

I avoided Paul the best I could for the rest of the day, but that's easier said than done. Seeing as how he was in all my classes. Sarah once again invited me to sit with her at lunch, which I agreed to do.

The bell rang, signaling it was lunchtime. I started gathering my things when something was placed in front of me. "Here," came Paul's voice. I looked up to see him walking away from me.

In front of me was a small box. I poked it, then shook it back and forth on my desk to make sure it wouldn't explode or anything.

"What is that?" Sarah asked, leaning on my desk.

"I have no idea," I told her.

"Open it." She said, poking me in the shoulder.

I scoffed. "I'm not sure I want to."

Sarah laughed. "I don't think he'd give you anything that would hurt you. Would he?"

"I don't know. Maybe," I said, shoving the box into my bag.

We walked to the cafeteria together, chattering about homework. As soon as we entered, I felt Paul eyeing me across the room. I tried not to pay any attention to him, but he was boring a hole into my skull with his eyes, so when I finished my food, I went to the library.

Paul and I had our project due tomorrow and if he wasn't going to help me on it, then I had to work on it every chance I got. When I reached the library, I sat down at a table in the corner.

I opened my bag to get my book when I spotted the box that Paul had dropped on my desk after first period. I had forgotten all about it until now. I pulled it from my bag and set it on the table in front of me.

What in the world could he have given me? I wondered. Carefully, I slid the top off the box. There was a piece of paper folded up inside. I pulled it out of the box and unfolded it.

In Paul's sloppy handwriting was the message, ' _Sorry about last night_.' I sat back in my chair. Last night? Over-reacting at the meeting with the Cullens? Why did he get so mad about that anyway, the fact that I was around vampires or the fact that I was around him? Did he not like that I was on Emmett's back? He didn't like me; that much was clear.

Maybe it was just the wolf in him that wanted to protect me and didn't want me around the Cullen's. Well that's too bad for him, 'cause Emmett is awesome. I was a little lost in my thoughts I didn't notice there was something else in the box. I reached inside and pulled out the necklace. It was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Maybe a little weird, and not something I'd expect to receive from Paul anyway.

The necklace was a chain, an avocado colored ribbon and crystals all woven together. It looked handmade, if Paul didn't make it himself, someone else did. I loved it. Maybe Paul's not so bad after all….


	10. Like a Lady

 

_**"Talking smooth and play by rules, like a lady** _

_**Hang on loose and always stay cool, like a lady** _

_**Listen to the songs and learn to sing along, on the radio, radio** _

_**Fire in my eyes and boys on my mind, they come and go, come and go”** _

 

**(Ryvre's POV)**

I walked into my last class of the day feeling a little lighter. The necklace from Paul was in my bag, in the box he gave it to me in. Paul was sitting in his normal seat. I looked over at him, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. He kept his head down, staring at the desk. Such a child, I thought as I took my seat.

When the bell rang for us to go home, I swear I saw him look over at me, but then he walked out the door without looking at me. I giggled as I walked out to my locker. Paul was a little shy, and it amused me.

"I have patrol today," Collin said, appearing behind me, and effectively scaring the hell out of me.

"Jeez! Give me a warning before you pop up like that. And okay, I'll tell mom," I told him.

"Sorry to scare you, I thought you knew I was here. And mom already knows I'll be home for dinner." He replied.

"Okay, see you at dinner little bro," I said, and then walked out the building doors to my car. I could feel Paul's eyes burning a hole into my head as I walked to my car, but when I looked over at him he looked away. I giggled at his childishness and pulled out of the school parking lot.

When I walked in my front door fifteen minutes later, I found my mother standing on a chair dusting the ceiling fan.

"Enjoying the day, mother?" I asked her.

"Always, Ryvre, dear." She smiled cheekily as I went past her. I pulled her skirt a little and she swatted me with the feather duster.

"Augh!" I screamed, my nose filling with dust.

Mom laughed from above me. "Lesson of the day: don't mess with the lady with the feather duster." She wiggled it at me again, but I ducked out of the way and ran up to my room.

I slung my bag on the chair and flopped back on my bed. Remembering what was inside my bag, I instantly jumped back up and retrieved the box that held the necklace Paul gave me. Why would he give me such a gift? I couldn't help but wonder. I turned the necklace over in my hands a few times, examining it.

"It's handmade," I said aloud, my voice sounded full of wonder even to me. Not only did Paul give me a necklace….. he made it himself. I set the jewelry on the table next to me and went to look out my window. Maybe there was more to him that I just wasn't seeing before….

"No." He's a womanizer. Just because he imprinted on me doesn't mean he has to be with me. An imprint can be anything, right? He can just be my friend. I'll be just fine with that.

To show myself just how fine I was with that, I went to my computer and loaded up some episodes of True Blood I missed.

"Hello there, Mr. Northman," I said to my computer screen as it filled with the image of the big, blond, gorgeous, Viking vampire. I laughed to myself thinking how silly I was being. Drooling over a fictional vampire because I didn't want to think about a werewolf. "Oh fucking well," I said, stretching out across my bed with my laptop in front of me and I settled in to watch my show.

Poke.

What was that?

Another poke.

Seriously, what the hell?

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"Get the fuck up!"

I jumped off my bed, looking around in panic. "I swear I never touched him, sir!"

Collin's laughter boomed in my ears. I stared at him, arms folded over my chest, until he calmed down.

"You should have- you should have seen your face!" he said in between bursts of laughter.

Suppressing the urge to kick him in the nards, and asked, "What do you want?"

He calmed down and wiped his eyes. Tears of laughter? Really? Was it THAT funny to him? I mean, really? "Mom said come down and eat your dinner before she gives it to the guys."

"The guys?"

"Yeah, Sam took Emily to see her parents or something. Her cousin is pregnant, I think and she wanted to see her. So mom volunteered to feed the guys for the night," Collin explained.

"Oh," I said. "Awesome sauce. Fucking awesome sauce." I rolled my eyes. "What did mom cook for dinner?"

Collin smirked. "Swedish meatballs. That's your favorite or something right?"

I was already marching out the door and stomping down the stairs. There was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen and I just knew I wasn't going to get there before someone stole my meatballs. "If anybody touches my meatballs, I will be the proud owner of a set of werewolf balls!"

The kitchen door slammed open when my hand connected with it. "She is scary," someone said when I marched past. Someone was going to regret that when I figure out who it was. And after I have my meatballs.

I filled my plate with meatballs- smothered and covered in cream of mushroom soup- creamed potatoes, and corn. I went to the table and saw all the chairs were full. Without speaking a word, I kicked the leg of the chair next to me and Quil jumped up. A ripple of laughter broke out across the table. I didn't look up to see who was around me; my food was more interesting at the moment.

Though I didn't look up, I could feel eyes on me. I was being stared at and I knew who was doing the staring. When I did look up, it was Paul's eyes I met and I definitely wasn't surprised.

"Finding something interesting?" he asked.

"Certainly not you," I replied.

"Look at something else then."

"You look at something else."

"Don't want to."

"Maybe I don't want to," I said. I was being childish. Did I care?

"Then I'll make you."

"So make me."

"Oh my god, you two, grow up," my mom interjected. "And take this childishness out of my kitchen if you're done eating." She pointed to the living room and we all filed out.

Paul took a seat on the couch and I decided I had better things to do than sit in the same room with him all night. So I went back up to my room and shut the door. A moment later, there was a knock.

"If it's Paul, go away. Anyone else, come on in, baby!" I called out.

Leah entered the room, smiling. "You two are entertaining. Much more interesting than Jared and Kim, that's for sure."

I could have sworn Leah was blushing right then, but I didn't dare say a word. I changed the subject. "So what's the deal with Sam taking Emily to see her parents? She couldn't go alone?"

Leah shook her head. "Oh no, no, no. Emily's parents live just outside of Seattle. Sam didn't want her to go at all, but Emily used her 'powers of persuasion' and off they went."

"She bribed him with sex?" I guessed.

"She made him chocolate chip muffins."

"Oh, of course. Muffins are so much better than sex," I deadpanned.

"When it comes to us shifters, yeah. Sometimes muffins are better than sex." Leah giggled. "Our metabolism is sky high.”

I smiled at her. “No offense, Leah but we’ve only met like two times. Why did you come in here?”

She shifted. “Just wanted to get to know you better. Honestly the guys give me so much shit about being bitter over Sam. They call me names. Lately they’ve all been talking about you. I guess I just wanted to see how you handled being called a bitch.”

That gave me pause. “So far, no one has called me a bitch, not to my face at least. I just own it. If you can’t be good, at least be good at it.”

Leah and I burst out laughing and laughed until mom came in the room. "Leah, I'm sorry but my kids have school tomorrow. You'll have to go, too."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Phoenix." Leah hugged me and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Come down to the beach with me. Jake has to do something with Sam and Paul so we'll be on our own."

"You mean if Jake or Paul want to come bother us, Sam has them cock blocked with work. Got it."

Leah laughed as she walked out the door. I fell back on my bed and fell asleep in my clothes.

The next morning, I drove to school listening to Collin complain next to me. "Mom said if the guys can't behave then they can't come over anymore."

"Fine by me."

"I mean, sure they broke her favorite lamp or something that she got from like, Egypt or somewhere."

"Wait a minute, when did this happen?" I asked.

“When you went to your room with Leah. Quil made a crack about you and Leah and Paul got pissed and tried to choke him. He ran right into the table with mom’s lamp and it broke.”

“I’m going to murder Quil,” I said. “What did he say, exactly?”

“I didn’t really hear him,” Collin said.

“Collin,” I warned.

He was quiet a moment. “Just that Leah finally found some company and no wonder you didn’t want to be with Paul.” He paused, letting the implication wash over me. I didn’t respond. We reached the school then and I saw the usual group gathered in the parking lot. Kim saw me and waved, then turned back to Hannah. Obviously, she wasn’t expecting me to come over to her. I marched across the parking lot, feeling Paul’s eyes on me with every step. As I got closer, the group turned to greet me but I ignored them, my eyes locked on Quil. He had the decency to look afraid.

“So, I hear you think it’s funny to pick on Leah.”

“What? No, I didn’t-“

“Yes, you did.” I glared at him. “You tease Leah for being lonely but why? Because Sam imprinted and left her? She didn’t do anything to deserve being thrown to the side like that. They didn’t decide to end their relationship, the imprint chose for them. And you give her shit over it. Her relationship, her friendship with her cousin, her whole choice in the matter was ripped away from her. How dare you. Why don’t you be a little more sympathetic since you have no idea what she’s going through. I don’t even care about what you said about me because you know what? Leah is amazing and you would be lucky to end up with someone half as great as her.” I spun on my heel and marched away, my blood still boiling.

When I got into the school my stomach twisted itself in knots. The bell rang over head. Instead of going to class I walked back out the door and got in my car. I just couldn’t do it today. Paul’s constant staring, his mood swings. I never know how he’s going to treat me. He’s mean to me then he wakes me up so I don’t miss class. Then he’s mean to me again and then he gives me a handmade necklace. I pulled out my phone and texted Emily to see if she was home and up for a chat.

 


	11. Black Sheep

_**"I'm a bad woman to keep** _   
_**Make me mad, I'm not here to please** _   
_**Paint me in a corner but my color comes back** _   
_**Once you go black, you never go black** _   
_**I'm a black sheep"** _

“Everything okay?” Emily asked as she closed the door behind me. “Did something happen?”

I stalked past her and flopped down on the couch. “Quil is a dick.”

“Sam told me what happened,” she said quietly, sitting down next to me.

“Why did you get together with Sam?” I asked, turning to face her. “He was your cousin’s boyfriend. You let the imprint force him into your life.”

“It wasn’t that simple,” she replied, looking at her hands. “I didn’t live in La Push, I came to visit Leah one weekend and she introduced me to Sam. I remember him staring at me and acting weird but Leah said it was because he was working two jobs. At the time she told me he worked days at the garage and nights he was security at a hospital in Forks. Of course, that wasn’t true, he spent his nights patrolling but she couldn’t tell me that. I don't think she even knew that at the time.

“I found myself attracted to him. I thought about him quite a bit. One night I even had a dream about him. We were just sitting at the beach, watching the waves and talking. I thought that maybe it was just a crush. So I came to visit another weekend. I’d convinced myself that I just needed to see him and Leah together and I could get over my little crush. Well, the weekend I came to visit was a spur of the moment decision and Leah had to work most of the weekend. One morning I went to the beach, very early. Sam was there, just strolling along. He sat down with me and we talked, it was almost exactly like my dream. I went back to school and tried to pretend it didn’t happen. He came to visit me and told me he couldn’t stop thinking about me either. I sent him home and told him to forget about me. I couldn’t hurt Leah like that. For a while we were friends and only friends.

“Leah invited me to a bonfire to celebrate her graduation from high school. Sam came over to say hello and we ended up deep in conversation. At the time it didn’t seem like we had talked that long. It wasn’t until Leah came over to interrupt. She was angry at me for hogging her boyfriend. Then she gave Sam an earful for ignoring her. Sam was still a new wolf at the time and he got angry with her and broke up with her. I tried to comfort her but she was stubborn and pushed me away. It wasn’t long after that Sam started inviting me out with him on dates. I refused so many times before I finally gave in.

“You may think the imprint takes the choice away from you but it isn’t like that. When Sam imprinted on me, what I needed was a friend and that’s what he was. He was there when I needed to talk. I decided to give him a chance at a relationship and we genuinely fell in love. We have our arguments like any other couple. We're not perfect.”

“Don’t you ever feel forced together?” I finally asked.

“No. We chose our relationship.” She stared at me like she was trying to read my mind. “Why are you so afraid of the imprint?”

“I’m not, I just don’t like being told who I’m going to end up with. I want my choice.”

“You don’t have to date Paul if you don’t really want to.”

“I don’t,” I said. “He’s too moody.” That damn necklace flashed in my mind.

Emily stood up. “You’re welcome to hang out here if you want. I just need to go start lunch for Sam and put shorts out for the guys.”

“Put shorts out?” I asked, my eyebrows raising.

“Yeah. They all end up here at some point or another. So they keep pairs of shorts here for when they phase. So they’re not all walking around naked.” She winked.

“Right.” My mind started turning. “You need some help?”

“Sure, come on.” She led me to the laundry room to the pile of jean shorts then instructed me where to place them in the woods.

* * *

 

**Paul POV**

I’d been in a daze all day long. Seeing Ryvre telling Quil off was one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed. She was equal parts scary and sexy, not that I would ever tell her that. It amazed me that she wasn’t afraid of us at all. Even people who didn’t know our true nature were intimidated by us. Ryvre just marched right up to Quil and let him have it. Quil was pretty embarrassed afterward. He even texted Leah to apologize.

After school I went to patrol with Seth. He thinks about Hannah a lot but he’s not as bad as Jared or Sam so I can deal with him. Jake and Embry took over for us after a few hours. We were in the woods behind Sam’s house and could already smell the dinner Emily had prepared.

I shifted back into human form and snatched my shorts off the ground, slipping them on without much thought. As soon as I exited the woods, Seth’s eyes widened and he burst into laughter. It was only then I realized my shorts weren’t fitting right. My hands flew to my backside. Someone had cut them into Daisy Duke’s.

“I would cover the front if I were you,” Sam said seriously from the back porch.

“Little Paul is trying to make an appearance,” Seth said, still laughing.

Emily opened the back door. “Oh, my!” She covered her mouth to hide her smile.

“Did you do this?” I demanded, folding my hands in the front.

“No,” she shook her head.

“Then who did?” I paused. There was a slight trace of a certain scent around me. After a minute I recognized it. “Ryvre.”

Emily ducked back inside without another word. Sam tossed me another pair of shorts. “Get changed and come inside.”

I hurried back into the woods and slipped off my sabotaged shorts. It was only then I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the pocket. I realized that I was seeing Ryvre’s handwriting for the first time. ‘ _Payback is a bitch_ ’, she had written. A little smiley face was drawn in the corner. This means war.

 


	12. Water Under the Bridge

_**"If you're not the one for me** _   
_**Then I'll come back and bring you to your knees** _   
_**If you're not the one for me** _   
_**Why do I hate the idea of being free?"** _

“That was a good one, sis,” Collin said, plopping down next to me on the couch.

“Thanks, Bro Montana.” I grinned, knowing what he was referring to.

“Seth phased last night and showed me what happened. The look on Paul’s face was priceless. He knows you did it though, so be ready for retaliation."

“I’m not afraid of him,” I said plainly.

“I know you’re not,” Collin said. “That thing with Quil got you some major cool points too.”

“He shouldn’t be such a dick. Especially to someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

“I don’t think you know the whole story. Leah is kinda mean to us,” Collin said quietly. He leaned away from me as if he were expecting a violent reaction.

“Emily told me what happened with Sam. Leah told me what happened with Sam. She has the right to be upset that imprinting ruined her relationships with both of them. All of the guys give her shit about being hung up on him. Not to mention she is the only girl wolf ever, you have no idea how she feels so cut her some slack,” I snapped at him.

“This imprinting thing really bothers you doesn’t it? I don’t think it’s just because of Paul.” He turned to face me, staring at me until I looked back at the television.

“I want to choose my life mate,” I replied. “I’m fucking seventeen, for fuck’s sake. Let me live my life before I get tied down.”

“You know what I noticed? You curse more when you’re uncomfortable. You’re using bad language to sound tough when you feel the most insecure.”

I stared at him. My little brother knew me better than anyone. “Well aren’t you Mr. Insightful. My fourteen year old baby brother is trying to teach me a life lesson.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Deflection; another sign of your insecurity.”

“Fuck off, Collin.” I stood up, ignoring his calls for me to come back. I shut the door to my room a little too hard and stretched out across my bed. My phone buzzed with a text. I scrunched my eyebrows as I read it:

_Thank you for signing up for ChuckNorrisFacts . com! Reply STOP at anytime to unsubscribe._

_Chuck Norris doesn’t dial the wrong number. You answered the wrong phone._

I definitely didn’t remember signing up for this. I quickly replied ‘ _stop’_ and hit send.

My phone buzzed a moment later with another text. _Chuck Norris has already been to Mars. That’s why there are no signs of life._

Jeez. _STOP_

Another buzz. _Chuck Norris wears sunglasses so that his eyes won’t hurt the sun._

_STOP_

_Thank you for renewing your subscription to ChuckNorrisFacts . com! We hope you’re enjoying these facts! You can reply STOP at anytime to unsubscribe._

Fucking A. _STOP_

_Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep, he waits._

I was getting ready to throw my phone when I looked at the phone number and realized it was a local number. What an idiot I am. I quickly texted back: _Paul, is that you?_

_Thank you for signing up for CaitlynJennerNudes . com!_

_Paul, you fucking asshole. How did you get my number?_

_Emily gave it to me._

_And this is the best you could come up with for revenge for your shorts?_

_I’m just getting started, baby._

My heart got a little kick out of being called baby though I strongly decided to ignore it. _Bring it, bitch_ , I replied. He didn’t answer after that. I had to get him with something good. I decided that he was tomorrow’s problem and rolled over to go to sleep.

* * *

 

What is it about Fridays that makes the school day drag by slower? When the last bell rang I nearly sprinted out the door.

“Hey, Ryvre,” Sarah called, hurrying to catch up with me. “You have any plans this weekend?”

“Not really. Probably going to the beach or something with Leah.”

“I was going to go to Seattle to go dress shopping. Homecoming is coming up and I wanted to pick a good one. You can come with me, if you’d like,” she said hopefully. “Maybe we could meet up with some of your old friends and you could catch up?”

“I’ll have to ask my dad,” I said, already knowing what the answer would be. “With everything going on up there I just don’t think he would be comfortable letting me go alone. Actually I’m surprised your parents are letting you go.” That was the truth, too. Her father was on the council. He knew about the vampires.

“They don’t know, actually. I told them I was going to Port Angeles. There’s just this amazing store in Seattle that I just have to go to,” she said.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Port Angeles, though. Maybe we could go there instead?” I asked, hopefully. Anything to get my friend from going to Seattle.

“Nah,” she said. “I’ve got my heart set on Sherry’s shop. Well, just think about it and let me know. I’ll text you later.” She turned and left.

Her determination on going to Seattle worried me a little bit. As much as it pained me to be a tattle tale, I told my dad when I got home. He then called her dad to warn him of Sarah’s plan.

“I called a little too late,” dad said, appearing in my doorway. “Sarah had already left her house.”

“Is there anything we can do? Maybe ask Sam to send one of the guys to follow her around?” I asked hopefully.

“Ryvre,” dad started as he came to sit on my bed. “Sam wouldn’t send any of them to look after your friend. It would be too dangerous for everyone involved. So far the vampires don’t seem to know the wolves are here. Sending one into her territory would alert her to their presence and make your friend a target if they were seen together. As long as she’s home before dark I believe she will be okay.” He rubbed my shoulder to reassure me.

“I hope so,” I finally agreed. Dad smiled at me then leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Have there been any more murders?” I had been purposefully avoiding the news so I didn’t have to see any of the gory details but now I just had to know.

“Yes,” dad said honestly.

“Does Sam have any kind of plan yet? I mean, it’s been months.”

“He does. In fact, they’re meeting with the Cullen family tonight to discuss strategy.” He turned to leave then, shutting my door behind him. I could only wonder what strategy they were discussing. Now I wished I had gone with Sarah to Seattle. At least I could have helped her if we did run into a vampire. With a snort, I rolled over and got to my feet. What could I really do against a vampire? Basically nothing. I wanted nothing to do with any of this mess.

Deciding that I had had enough of sitting in my room I headed downstairs. Collin and another boy were sitting at the kitchen table. “Who’s this dude?” I asked, opening the fridge.

“Cory,” my brother answered. “He’s a new wolf. Phased a few days ago.”

“And what’s your name?” the new kid asked with a flirty grin. He looked like he were the same age as my brother.

I laughed once and spun around to glare at him. “The Wicked Witch of La Push. Wipe that grin off your face.”

The smile dropped off his face in an instant, his eyes widened a little. “I’m sorry,” he squeaked.

I smiled. “That’s better. Now, you can call me Ryvre.” With that I took my leave and went into the living room. My phone sat next to me on the cushion. The time was just after five. Knowing it would be getting dark soon, I texted Sarah: _Any luck finding a dress yet?_

A few minutes went by with no reply. Then a few more. Anxiety set in and I couldn’t take it. I slipped on my shoes and coat and decided to go visit Emily.

“Hey, Ryvre!” she chirped after I had knocked. “Come on in. Hannah is here too.” She leaned in to whisper, “Seth still hasn’t talked to her yet.” She gave me a pointed look but I knew what she meant.

I just rolled my eyes. “Of course he hasn’t.” We went into the kitchen where Hannah was sitting, nibbling on a muffin. Emily pushed the plate towards me as I sat.

“Hi, Ryvre,” Hannah greeted politely.

“Sup, homie,” I replied, taking a bite of my muffin.

“I’m surprised you don’t have any plans tonight,” Emily said looking at me.

I’m not, I replied in my head. It’s not like I have any real friends here. “Well, there’s nothing to do here,” I finally said. “It’s not like I can go to Seattle either.”

“Oh yeah,” Hannah spoke up. “They still haven’t found whoever has been killing all those people.” She shook her head sadly.

I looked at Emily. “One of my friends from school is there now. Dress shopping, of all things.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Emily tried to reassure me.

Looking at the table, I shrugged. “I texted her an hour ago and she hasn’t replied yet.”

“That doesn’t have to mean anything,” Emily said firmly. She looked at Hannah. “How are things with Seth?”

Hannah immediately perked up. I could almost see the stars forming in her eyes. “They’re great. He’s such a sweetheart.”

“How did you guys meet?” I asked. She was an imprint but she didn’t know it yet. I’m curious to see how she describes their relationship. Emily eyed me, probably already knowing what I was thinking.

“We actually were in the same class in second grade so we’ve kind of grown up together,” she explained. “We weren’t really friends though until a few weeks ago. He asked me to eat lunch with him one day and that was it.” She shrugged. “We’ve only been going out a few weeks but I feel like we have this amazing bond. He listens to me and supports me. I’ve always been a really shy and private person. He never pushes me to talk and when we’re around people I don’t know he usually does the talking for me until I’m comfortable to speak up. And he never makes me feel bad for not speaking. He just goes out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable and taken care of.”

She paused and leaned in to the table. “I got my period at school one day.” She looked down as if it embarrassed her to even mention this “So I didn’t go to class, I just hid in the bathroom. And cried. I was crying. He texted me to see if I was okay. I texted him back and told him I’d gotten my period but didn’t have anything and there were no other girls in there I could ask. He didn’t answer me and I thought I grossed him out. Then ten minutes later he came in with a box of tampons for me! He had walked out of class, went down to the store and bought them for me. It sounds silly but it’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

I smiled but didn’t really know what to say. Emily was telling her she agreed that it was pretty sweet.

Hannah looked over at me. “You’ve been here a couple weeks now. Have you met anyone you might be interested in?”

My stomach dropped. “No, all the guys at school are too afraid of me,” I said with a grin.

The girls laughed at that. Hannah stood up. “Well, this was fun but I’ve got to get going home. I’ll see you ladies at the bon fire right?”

We agreed and bid her good night. Emily got up to refill our glasses. I checked my phone again, saddened to see I still had no messages from Sarah. Kelly hadn’t even texted me in a while.

“See, being an imprint isn’t so bad,” Emily said taking her seat again.

“Except for the part where Hannah and Seth weren’t even friends until he imprinted on her and now he does all this stuff for her.”

Emily just shook her head but didn’t say anything. In front of me, my phone buzzed. ‘ _Hey, I just got home. Sorry I couldn’t text you back. My phone died_!’

“Sarah is okay,” I told Emily, texting my friend back. “Her phone died.

“See, you worried for nothing.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I stood up. “I’m gonna head home. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Ryre. Be careful!” she called after me.

“Always am,” I called back, glad I was turned away so she couldn’t see my frown.


	13. Passionfruit

_**"Harder building trust from a distance** _   
_**I think we should rule out commitment for now cause we're falling apart** _   
_**Leaving** _   
_**You're just doing that to get even** _   
_**Don't pick up the pieces, just leave it for now** _   
_**They keep falling apart"** _

**Ryvre POV**

It was a Friday and it had been one of the most annoying days of school, so far. Tomorrow was prom night so of course it was the only thing people were talking about. Dresses, dates, dinner plans, after parties. It was the only thing I heard all day. I tuned out as much as possible; going so far to get up from the lunch table when Sarah and Brittany continuously interrupted each other. I’d started to join Kim at her table but she was in the middle of telling Hannah about her plans with Jared. I just put my tray up and left the cafeteria. There was only so much I could take.

“Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?” Sarah asked, leaning next to my locker.

I grit my teeth. “No way. Too conventional.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know you’re a rebel, Ryvre but it’s the prom. The biggest night of our high school lives. It’s like a rite of passage or something.”

“You mean the biggest cliché. No, thanks, not interested,” I lied with a straight face. Without waiting for a reply, I turned and walked toward my next class. Unfortunately, she didn’t take the hint and followed me anyway.

“I’m sure you can still get a date,” she said loudly. “What about Paul?”

Several girls turned at the sound of his name. I slowly turned around, ready to give Sarah an earful when I noticed Paul standing with a group of guys right behind Sarah.

“Yeah, Paul, aren’t you taking Ryvre to prom?” one of the guys teased, laughing as he looked over at me.

“I have a date,” he said, looking at me. “In fact, I have two.”

The guys around him laughed.

“Good for you, Paul,” I said slowly. Then I looked at the two guys on either side of him. “I hope the three of you have a great night.”

Their eyes widened as everyone else in the hallway started to laugh. Paul’s eyes flashed with anger. I smiled and walked away.

* * *

 

The next night was hell. I stayed in my room the whole night trying to watch a show on Netflix but I was drawn to my Facebook newsfeed. Kim, Sarah, Kelly and the others were posting all of their prom pictures. They were all gorgeous, of course. Paul did go with some girl I didn’t know. She posted some pictures as well. He looked handsome, as well. They looked like they were having a great time. When I’d finally had enough I turned my phone off and closed my laptop. With tears steadily flowing, I rolled over and tried to go to sleep.

There was a light knock on my door then dad peeked his head in. “You okay, little Ryvre?”

“No,” I told him honestly, my voice cracking. Without another word he came and sat on my bed and wrapped his arms around me. I cried as he rubbed my back gently. It was a long time before I fell asleep that night.

* * *

 

Bonfires seem to pretty popular amongst the people of La Push. I’m not sure what it is. Everyone just loves to sit around a fire on freezing cold nights. It makes it worse that they chose to do this on the beach. I was wearing a pair of lace up boots, black leggings and a hoodie and I was shivering. _This isn’t proper beach attire_ , I couldn’t help but think. Maybe I should have worn jeans instead of leggings.

The beach was full of people. All of the wolf pack, the imprints and Elders were scattered around chatting. I was hanging by the food table, making sure I got my share. There was only one burger left on the plate and it had my name on it.

“That’s mine,” a voice said from next to me. I look up to find Paul staring at the burger in my hands.

“It’s in my hand, what makes you think it’s yours?” I challenged.

“I want it,” he said firmly. He leaned closer to me as if trying to intimidate me.

“You want it? You got it.” I held it up to my mouth and licked all over it, making sure there wasn’t an inch that wasn’t covered in my saliva. “Here you go.” I held it out to him.

He stared at it for a minute before grabbing it and putting it on a bun. “Mmmm, so good,” he said with a mouthful and walked away. Prick.

My little brother was standing next to the water, watching the waves roll in.

“Do you ever wish you were a mermaid?” I asked, coming to stand next to him.

He started. “What?”

“A mermaid. Do you ever wish you could turn into a mermaid instead of a werewolf? You would be able to breathe underwater and you could go anywhere you want to.”

“I guess I never really thought about it,” Collin said, kicking at the sand.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.

He shrugged. “Just ready for all of this mess to be over with.” Looking over his shoulder, he noticed everyone started to take seats around the fire. “Come on. Billy is going to tell the legends.”

“We know the legends.” I rolled my eyes.

“Billy is a better story teller than dad. Plus Hannah and Bella have never heard them before.”

“Why is Bella even here?”

Collin shrugged again. “Jake brought her.”

I rolled my eyes again and waved him off. He ran over to the fire but I lingered a moment. The water almost reached my boots so I took a small step back and continued to watch the waves. Collin may not think much about mermaids but I did. I would turn right now, leap into the water and swim far away from here.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even hear Paul sneaking up behind me. He grabbed the sides of my leggings and yanked them down to my knees, exposing my butt for the entire beach. I calmly turned around to see everyone staring at me. The younger ones were laughing while the elders, including my parents, were scolding him. Without a word I reached down and pulled my leggings back into place.

“Is there a five year old helping you plan your so-called pranks?” I asked Paul, looking him in the eye.

His laughter died quickly and he looked a little angry. I walked over to the fire and took my seat next to Emily.

“So, Billy, I hear you’re a good story teller?” I asked, turning to him.

Billy smiled at me and immediately went into telling our legends. I was glad to get the attention off of me and also thankful it was dark so no one could see me blushing. Since I had heard the legends before I spent more time observing the others. Hannah was hanging on Billy’s every word. Seth kept glancing at her, also trying to see how she reacted. Bella had leaned against Jake, who looked like he was enjoying her touch a little too much. Didn’t she have a boyfriend? What is she even doing here?

Billy finished telling our story. There was a beat of silence before Seth quietly asked Hannah to walk down the beach with him. Billy and the other Elders stood as well, going near the edge of the woods to talk with Sam.

“I hope she takes it well,” Bella commented softly.

“She’ll be fine,” Jake said, rubbing Bella’s hand. She smiled back at him.

I’d had all I could take. “Why are you here?” I snapped at her.

“What?” Bella asked, looking confused.

“I said, why are you here? You’re not Quilete, you’re not an imprint and you have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who is a vampire. So what are you doing here, cuddling up with Jake?”

“Jake invited me, he’s my friend.” Her mouth was hanging open as if she were confused.

“He invited you because he likes you. Do you see anyone else here with just a friend? No. Everyone here is either Quilete or an imprint. You’re neither and you don’t belong here,” I told her harshly.

Jacob stood up. “Why don’t you mind your own business, Ryvre,” he snapped.

“This is my business,” I shot back, also standing up. “This is my family. You’re my family too, Jake. Bella doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t really want to be with you so why do you keep letting her treat you like this?” I turned to Bella. “And why are you so intent on being a part of the supernatural world? Why don’t you go live a normal human life away from all of this shit instead of forcing yourself into the lives of vampires and werewolves?”

“Ryvre, I’m warning you,” Jake started.

Behind me, Paul shot to his feet. “Warning her about what?”

Jake looked between us, then grabbed Bella’s arm and they walked away. I turned to face Paul. “I don’t need you to look out for me.”

“I wasn’t, I was looking out for myself. What do you think would happen to me if Jake lost his temper and accidentally killed you?” Paul retorted.

I rolled my eyes, turned away and stomped down the beach away from everyone. There was a huge rock next to the cliff. It hung over the water a bit. I climbed up and sat on the edge, letting my feet dangle over the water.

“Why do you care so much about whether Jake has Bella around?” a voice came from behind me. I immediately tensed when I realized it was Paul.

“Why do you care why I care so much?”

“I don’t. Sam said I had to come apologize for pulling your pants down in front of everyone. I figure that’s why you got so pissed and flipped your shit on them.”

“Apology accepted. You can run along now.” To my surprise he came and sat down next to me. I grimaced. “I said run along.”

“You don’t tell me what to do,” he shot back.

“Fine then.” I started to stand up but he grabbed my wrist.

“Stop running away.”

“I’m not.” I yanked my wrist out of his grip but I sat back down. “Bella isn’t a vampire, she’s not related to any of the wolves; none of them even imprinted on her. She isn’t even dating Jake so I don’t understand why she’s here. Why is she so insistent on being part of our world when she has a chance for a normal life?”

Paul didn’t say anything. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than I’d ever heard him speak. “Is that why you’re so angry about the imprint? You want to have a normal life with a normal man who works 9 to 5 and doesn’t go to anger management classes?”

I detected hurt in his voice. “You go to anger management?” I asked quietly.

“After the way I acted the night we met the Cullens, Sam thought it would be for the best.” He shrugged. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I want my choice.”

“And what exactly is your choice?” he snapped. “What is it that you want?”

“I want to decide for myself what is best for me. I want to be with someone who doesn’t snap at me and pull my pants down in front of everyone!”

“You licked my food,” he shot back.

“You didn’t have to eat it!” I stood up and started to climb down the rock. My face was turning red and for the second time that night I was glad for the darkness. Paul hadn’t gotten up from his spot and I could hear his mumbled cursing. Laughter from the rest of the group echoed down the beach. My stomach tied itself in knots and I decided I’d reached my breaking point. I veered off into the woods and walked the rest of the way home.

The tears started to fall before I even reached my house. Thankfully no one was home to see it. I broke down as soon as I turned the lock.

* * *

 

**Paul POV**

Ryvre stood up and hauled ass towards the woods after yet another fight. I let her go. For a minute we were actually getting along. I scrubbed my face with my hands. She was just so infuriating.

“I send you to smooth things over and instead you make things worse. How are you ever going to get anywhere with that girl if you keep running her off?” Sam asked as he sat down next to me.

“I tried, okay. I was being nice. I told her I’m going to anger management and she still got mad at me.”

“Let’s back up a little. Tell me what happened right before she ran for the hills.”

I took a deep breath. “I asked her why she was so upset over imprinting, what exactly did she want in a relationship? I tried to open up and told her I was going to anger management. She tried to steer the conversation towards that but I didn’t let her. She said she just wanted a choice. And okay, I did snap at her because that’s all she ever says is she wants her choice. So then she brought up what I did at the bonfire.”

“You embarrassed her,” Sam said, stating the obvious.

“She didn’t act like it,” I defended.

“Ryvre is very good at playing it cool. Emily and I were talking about this. She deflects when she doesn’t want to talk about something. I don’t think it’s just the imprint she’s running from. You’ll get through to her. She didn’t push you off this rock when you sat down so I think that’s good progress.”

“Who says I even want to get through to her? When did I say that she is what I want? Who said I was even giving in to the imprint?”

Sam hung his head. “You did. When she stood up to Jake earlier and you backed her up. When she came and sat on this rock, you came after her. When you upset her at school, you made a necklace to apologize for it. Why did you do all that if you didn’t like her?” He raised an eyebrow and waited for an answer but I didn’t have one. “That’s what I thought.” He stood up. “Let her cool off tonight, but go see her in the morning. Don’t forget we’re meeting with the Cullens again tomorrow night.

“Can’t wait,” I replied, staring out at the black water.


	14. Lyin' Eyes

**_"You can't hide your lyin' eyes_ **   
**_And your smile is a thin disguise_ **   
**_I thought by now you'd realize_ **   
**_There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes"_ **

**Ryvre POV**

Leah sent me the text just as I’d gotten home from school. ‘ _The psychic vamp says Victoria and her newborns are coming. The battle happens tonight._ ’

I stared at my phone for a few minutes trying to formulate a reply. ‘ _Good luck_.’ I finally wrote. No one was home so I went to my room and turned on Netflix. There was a knock at the front door. With a sigh, I paused my show and went to answer the door. I tried not to frown when I realized it was Paul.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We’re fighting the newborns tonight,” he said.

“I know, Leah texted me.”

“Oh.” He shifted from one foot to the other.

“Did you want something else?”

“Just to make sure you were okay,” he said.

I softened a little. “I’m fine.”

“That’s good.”

“Do you even really care or did Sam make you come here?”

The anger flashed in his eyes and he opened his mouth to tell me off but stopped. I saw him take two deep breaths. “I care.”

That response pulled the rug out from under me and I just stood there staring at him for a minute. Collin came up the steps behind him, saving me from having to respond for the moment.

“It’s happening tonight,” he said. He looked at Paul. “I guess you know that already.” He moved past me to come in the house. “Can we shut the door? You’re letting all the heat out.”

I started to tell Paul to piss off but he came inside before I could say a word. With a huff, I shut the door and followed the boys into the living room.

“Sam wants us to come over before dark to prepare,” Paul told my little brother.

“I know,” Collin said with a sigh. He looked down at the coffee table and I could swear he looked ten years older.

The fear started to set in my stomach. I looked at Paul. “You can go anytime now. I’d like some time with my brother.”

Collin looked at me. “Don’t you want some time with Paul too?” He made a kissy face at me. I threw a pillow at his head which only made him laugh.

“She hates me enough already, do you have to make it worse?” Paul said. He was grinning as if it were a joke. There was a hint of pain in his eyes though.

“She doesn’t hate you, she’s just afraid,” Collin replied simply.

Paul looked over at me. “What are you so afraid of?”

“Nothing,” I snapped. “Are you two done talking about me?”

“I am,” Collin said as he stood up. “Emily has Claire and Olivia so I’m going over there for a while.” He looked at me. “Emily says you’re invited to come over until the battle is over. Kim and Hannah are going to be there as well.”

“Okay,” I said. He turned and left then, leaving me alone with Paul. “Why are you still here?”

“Because here you have nowhere to run.”

“Why are you tormenting me?”

“Because apparently it’s the only way to get you to talk.”

I almost screamed. “You are just as against this imprint as I am, why are you suddenly so interested in me?”

“Why are you so afraid of the imprint?” he countered.

“I want my choice!”

“Your choice, your choice. Well what exactly do you want?”

I snapped. “I want Joey!” Tears sprang to my eyes and flowed down my face before I could stop them. I backed up until my legs hit the couch and I sat down. Paul shoved a box of tissues in my hand then stood back and let me cry. When I had calmed down I told him everything. “We started dating when I was fifteen. He was my first love. We were together almost two years. Last year we got into this big fight because this girl in class kept texting him and I thought something was going on when there wasn’t. He swore that it was all her. I called him a liar and hung up on him. That was the last thing I ever said to him. He texted me that his mom was going to drive him over to my house so we could talk in person. I never answered him. Then he never showed up. The next day I found out a drunk driver hit them. He and his mom were both dead.” I wiped my eyes again.

“The last thing I ever said to him was he was a liar. If I had just answered my phone and talked to him he wouldn’t have come to my house and he would still be alive.”

At some point, Paul had sat down next to me and was awkwardly rubbing my back. I had to admit his presence was comforting. The tears had stopped but I was still sniffling.

“Is that what you’re afraid of? Giving someone else a chance to get close to you? Having them ripped away so suddenly?” he finally asked. “None of that was your fault. It’s a horrible coincidence but it wasn’t your fault. All of our cards are marked in advance.”

I didn’t say anything, just enjoyed the warmth of his hand on my back. “We were supposed to go to prom together, that’s why I didn’t go. Then we were going to graduate together. Go to school together in North Carolina. I was going to go for pathology. He was going to be pre-med. But I didn’t believe him. He loved me enough to want to talk to me in person and instead it got him killed.”

Paul reached out and wiped a tear from my cheek. “That’s an enormous amount of guilt you’ve been carrying around,” he said quietly.

In all honesty, I did feel like a huge weight had lifted off my chest. I looked out the window to see the sun was setting. “You should go. It’s almost time for you to meet up with the others.” I could see how badly he wanted to stay with me.

“Are you going to wait with Emily and the others?” he asked softly.

I shrugged. “I don’t know if I can handle the waiting game. I wish I could just go to sleep until it’s all over.”

Paul squeezed my shoulder and stood up. “I’ll see you after.” He hovered for a minute like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to say something else or not. Finally he just waved and went out the front door. For a long time I just sat there, in disbelief that I had actually told him about Joey. My dad was the only person that I talked about him with. After a while I went up to shower and change clothes. By the time I came down my parents were home. I told them I was going to stay the night at Emily’s, which mom accepted without question.

Dad was in his office, looking over some paperwork when I entered.

“My little Ryvre. Is something happening tonight?” he asked, looking up at me.

“The psychic vamp says they’re coming tonight. There’s going to be a battle so Emily asked the imprints to come over and wait it out together.”

“And you agreed?” he asked, his eyes widening. “Did something happen between you and Paul that I don’t know about?”

“I’m going because of Collin,” I replied. “I can’t sit here all night wondering if my baby brother is okay.”

“Right,” dad agreed, looking back at his work.

“I told Paul about Joey,” I said quietly, looking away. When I looked up dad was staring at me.

“I have to admit I’m surprised by that. That’s a big step for you. I’m proud of you for opening up,” dad said with a smile.

“Do you think I did the right thing? Telling him about Joey, that is.”

“I do. Now he knows what you’ve been through. I don’t think he would treat you like a doll but at least he knows you have a soft side. Kind of like an M&M. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. And he knows you trusted him with something private. It shows trust in the relationship.”

I crossed my arms. “There is no relationship. I’m not over Joey.”

“Not yet, I know. It only happened seven months ago. But you will move on. And I know this month is especially hard on you with prom and graduation, since I know you planned on doing both of those things together, but it will get easier. You’re eighteen, Ryvre. You’ve got a lot of growing to do.” Dad smiled at me.

Finally I smiled and went around his desk to hug him. “I’m heading over to Emily’s. I’ll call or text when I know something.”

“Okay, sweetie. I love you. Be careful.”

“Always am. I love you, too dad.”

* * *

 

**Paul POV**

The other guys were waiting behind Sam's house when I got there. Sam glanced at me. "You're late," he said sternly.

"Sorry," I replied absently.

Jared and Embry looked at me and then each other. I think it was the first time I'd ever apologized.

Collin was glaring at me, knowing he had left me alone with his sister. "Is my sister okay?"

"She's fine," I replied defensively. "She, uh, she told me about Joey."

The other guys looked confused but Collin's jaw dropped. "She did? Wow."

Sam got our attention then to go over the plan for tonight. When it was time we phased and went to meet the Cullen family.

* * *

 

**Ryvre POV**

All the lights in Emily's house were burning. I could almost feel the anxiety coming from the girls inside. I stood on the sidewalk for at least a full five minutes trying to decide if I were mentally ready for this. Emily let me in with a pained smile. Kim was a wreck, pacing back and forth in the living room. Hannah was seated in a chair, staring absently at the wall. They were all a hot damn mess.

"Okay, ladies," I said loudly, clapping my hands together. "It's going to be a long night. The guys are going to be out there in wolf form for hours so you know what that means."

"I'm going to cry a river of anxious tears?" Kim said, clutching a tissue to her chest. Her eyes were already red and puffy.

"No, it means we have to bake. We need food."

"How much food?" Hannah asked absently.

"Well, there's seventeen of them now," Emily added, trying to do the math in her head.

"We need a shit ton. Emily, empty the freezer," I said.

Emily immediately jumped into action. She began ordering us around and placing us in charge of different areas of the kitchen. I tried to keep the conversation going so no one's thoughts wandered. Emily was chattering away about something Claire and Olivia had done that day when a loud, pained howl cut her off.

Kim dropped the piping bag. "That was Jared, I just know it."

"You don't know that," I told her firmly. I walked over and shoved the bag back into her hands. "Finish icing those cupcakes. Do that one over, that flower looks like shit."

Hannah and Emily turned back to their own tasks, trying not to think about what that howl could mean. When the sun started peeking over the trees, Emily went back to the fridge. "Let's make breakfast," she said. It wasn't long before every inch of Emily's countertops were covered with food. Sausage, bacon, eggs, biscuits, pancakes and hash browns were set on the table. Various flavors of bread, cupcakes, muffins and cookies were stacked on the counters.

"I hope this is over soon," Emily said quietly to me. "I'm out of flour."

"What can we make without it?" I pulled out my phone to google flourless cakes.

"There's always pudding," Hannah chimed in.

"Oh, good idea," I agreed.

"Do you need flour for fudge?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Let's go ahead and have breakfast before it gets cold," Emily said, handing out plates. The four of us sat down together and helped ourselves to the mountain of food.

"So, Ryvre," Kim started. "Have you warmed up to this imprinting thing yet?"

"Kim!" Emily scolded, smacking her arm.

"No," I said, looking at her. "I never will either."

"Isn't that why you're here?" Kim wondered. "To be here when Paul comes back safe."

"I'm here for my brother," I reminded her.

"So she says," Kim half whispered to Hannah.

I ignored her. They continued to laugh but I wasn't listening. My ears picked up the sound of shouting from the backyard. I stood up quickly and nearly ran to the back door. The other girls on my heels. Sam was the one shouting. He, Jared and Quil were carrying someone across the yard. Emily pushed back inside to get her first aid kit. Kim followed her to help, now that she had seen Jared was just fine. Seth came out of the trees and I could feel Hannah relax next to me. She went down the steps and met him halfway.

When the guys reached the porch, I held the door open. It was only then I saw it was Jacob that was injured. I hated the relief that flooded me. I looked around and realized the others were all in the yard, slowly making their way toward the house. Collin gave me a half hug when he reached the porch.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"There was a vamp that almost attacked Leah. Jake jumped in front of it. Smashed a bunch of bones. That vamp doctor is coming to fix him up," Collin told me.

"Everything else was okay?" I looked up and locked eyes with Paul. He had a scratch along his chest but other wise looked okay.

"Yeah, we took care of it. Working with the Cullens wasn't even that bad. And Paul kicked ass too, he didn't get hurt so you can stop staring now."

I looked at my brother and elbowed his ribs. "Are you hungry? We needed something to pass the time so we made a shit ton and a half of food."

Behind me I heard Brady whisper, “How much is a shit ton and a half?”

Collin followed me inside and sat at the table. I took the seat next to him to finish my own breakfast.

"Paul said you told him about Joey," Collin said quietly.

"Yeah, I did," I said.

"That's cool." My brother grinned at me.

The rest of the pack filed in and started filling up plates of their own. Paul sat next to me but didn't say anything. The guys were relatively quiet. Seth started telling everyone what happened during the final battle. How Bella had cut her arm to distract Riley to give Edward a chance to attack.

"Bella was there?" I interrupted. "Seriously?"

"She insisted," Seth informed me.

"Of course she did." I rolled my eyes. "Because she's an idiot and couldn't stand not being in the center of the action."

"Well, if it weren't for her distracting Riley, Paul wouldn't have been able to take him out," Seth defended.

"If she wouldn't have been out there in the first place, Edward wouldn't have needed to get her out of there so there wouldn't have been a confrontation away from the others," I pointed out.

Seth shrugged in agreement.

"It's her fault Jake is hurt," Collin said. He then told me about the conversation Jake and Edward had in the tent and how Bella had kissed him. I felt disgusted.

"It's not enough for her to date a vampire that she has to have Jake fawning over her as well? I'm not saying I like Edward but that's not fair to him either," I asked rhetorically. Jake's screams of pain interrupted our conversation.

Emily came into the kitchen then. "They're having to re-break a lot of his bones to set them right. He's healing so quickly they're healing wrong. It may be best if you guys go on home. Sam wants you to get some rest."

No one moved until there was a light knock on the door. Everyone looked around at each other wondering who it could be. I stood up. "I'll go get that." When I opened the door, I grimaced. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

"Can I see Jake?" Bella asked softly, trying to look around me.

"Haven't you done enough damage?" I snapped at her.

"Ryvre," Emily said behind me. "It's okay." She looked at Bella. "You can see him for a few minutes but that's all. He needs to rest."

I crossed my arms and refused to move from my spot. Bella slid in the door sideways to get around me. A few of the guys then filed out of the kitchen, following Sam's order to go home. Paul came to the front door, lingering a moment.

"I'm glad you're okay," I said softly.

"Thanks," he replied.

I followed my little brother out the door and got into my car. Our parents were waiting up when we got home. Mom hugged Collin, tearfully declared how proud she was then went to bed. Dad wanted details. We sat down and Collin began telling him what had happened.

“I think Victoria started to realize she was losing,” he said. “She took off. Edward went after her but she led him into a trap. Riley was waiting for him. Well, Paul had his sights on Riley from the jump.” He glanced at me when he said this. “Edward was trying to talk Riley down, convincing him Victoria was just using him. It was working until Paul came out of the trees. Riley gets this weird look on his face and just stares at Paul. I think he could smell Ryvre’s scent on him. That’s when Bella cut her arm to distract Victoria. Edward took his chance and killed her while Paul went after Riley. After that Carlisle tried to convince the other newborns to stand down. Didn’t work, though.”

Hearing that Paul was the one who had killed Riley surprised me a little. I’d heard all I wanted to hear so I bid them good night and went to my room.


	15. One of These Nights

_**"The full moon is calling, the fever is high** _   
_**And the wicked wind whispers and moans** _   
_**You got your demons, you got your desires** _   
_**Well I've got a few of my own"** _

**Ryvre POV**

“What are your plans for the day?” mom asked, placing some food on the table in front of Collin and I.

“Pack stuff,” Collin replied, stabbing a pancake and sliding it onto his plate.

“Netflix,” I replied without looking up.

“Why don’t you go to the beach?” mom suggested. “Go see Emily for a little while. You’ve been cooped up in your room for days. Since the newborn threat is over I don’t see why you’re still hiding here.”

“She’s avoiding Paul,” Collin so helpfully supplied.

“I am not.”

Mom looked at me. “Why are you avoiding him?”

“I just said I’m not.”

Collin jumped in again, “She found out he is the one who killed the vampire that wanted her blood. Now she’s all touched and emotional about it and she doesn’t want to face him.”

“You just know everything don’t you?” I snapped, blood rushing to my cheeks.

He smiled at me. “When it comes to my sister, yes, I do.”

“Ryvre, why don’t you want to face him? I don’t think you’re being very fair to him,” mom told me, shaking her head.

“She’s starting to feel something for him but she doesn’t want to admit it because she’s still hung up on Joey,” Collin said, staring right at me. Mom froze, only her eyes moved to look at me.

I jumped out of my seat. “You don’t know anything!” I yelled.

Collin leaped to his feet, knocking over his chair. “Joey was a liar and a cheater. I caught him with Savannah, remember that? But he got killed coming to see you and now you’ve got this idea it’s your fault. You put him on a pedestal, Ryvre, like he was the most wonderful and loving boyfriend when he wasn’t and you know it. Now you have a real shot at happiness with Paul and you’re going to throw it away because you’re afraid to get hurt again.”

“Fuck you,” I spat. I turned and stomped up to my room, slamming the door. Tears were flowing before I’d even gotten up the stairs. I hated Collin for what he said, I hated him for being right.

* * *

 

**Graduation Day**

The two weeks leading up to graduation were uneventful. I went to school, came home and watched Netflix and only left my room to get food. I went to Emily’s once but I only stayed an hour or so until Kim showed up. I’d seen Paul around school but I hadn’t spoken to him. Once, I thought he was going to approach me when I was standing at my locker but he was intercepted by some loud girl.

It was only a few hours until graduation but I was already dressed and ready. Mostly ready to get it over with. I didn’t have any plans for the summer so I didn’t really know why I was so ready to be done with it. Maybe just so I can get all of my obligations over with leaving me time to do more of nothing. Summer meant no school which means I could sleep as late as I wanted. 

A knock on the door brought me out of my head.

“Are you ready, little Ryvre?” my dad asked, stepping into my room.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Are you okay?” He came and sat down on the edge of the bed next to me.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I shrugged. “Is what Collin said true?”

“You might have to be a little more specific than that,” dad said with a light chuckle.

“What he said about Joey,” I clarified.

“I seem to remember a lot of fighting between the two of you,” dad admitted. “Sometimes when someone dies we forget all about the ways they hurt us and only remember the good times. Like if we remember something bad about them then its disgracing their memory. No one is perfect, Joey included.”

I absorbed this but didn’t say anything for a while.

Finally, dad stood up. “Come on, we’re going to have lunch before your graduation starts.” He offered me his hand and I took it.

“I just can’t believe it, my little girl is graduating,” he said, squeezing my shoulders.

“My grades weren’t that bad,” I replied.

“It wasn’t your grades I was worried about. Except for the one class you took but I guess you fixed that when you made the teacher cry.”

I grinned. “Fear can make anyone do anything.”

Dad just laughed.

* * *

 

Emily threw a graduation party for us at the beach, complete with a bonfire and all. Kim was telling everyone how she was going to take some CNA classes at the community college in the fall. Jared was going to take some classes but would be starting work at Sam's garage this summer. Paul didn’t seem to have any plans for school and was ready to start working, probably with Sam as well.

“How about you Ryvre?” Kim asked, bringing everyone’s attention to me.

“I’ll be continuing my reign of terror, don’t worry,” I quipped.

She laughed. “What about school this fall? Just the community college or have you applied at the university in Seattle?”

“Actually, I’ve already been accepted to UNC.”

The chatter around me died quickly and everyone was looking at me.

“UNC?” Emily asked.

“University of North Carolina. In Chapel Hill.”

“That’s all the way across the country,” Quil said.

“In fact, it is,” I said. “Give the kid a cookie.”

“But,” Kim started. Her eyes darting between me and Paul. “What about…” she trailed off.

I knew what she was asking. “Look, I’ve been planning on going to UNC since I was a freshman. It’s where my dad went and it’s where I’m going. I’m not throwing away all my plans just because I’m an imprint. I want a career, I want more than staying at home and baking all day. No offense, Emily, I know you love it but it’s not for me.” She gave me a small smile in understanding and I looked back to Kim. “I control my own life.”

“Do you have any idea what it will do-“ Sam started.

Paul cut him off. “Just leave her alone.” All eyes turned to him now. “She can go to school wherever she wants to.”

“But, Paul,” Sam tried again.

“I said drop it, Sam,” he snapped. Sam glared at him but backed down.

The atmosphere of the party had dramatically shifted and I no longer felt very welcome there. I looked at Collin. “I’ll see you at home.” He nodded back and I left.

I was in my room when Collin came home. He opened my door without knocking. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Getting too caught up in the life of Leslie Knope?” I asked, pausing my show.

“I mean to Paul. You’re going to school across the country.”

“I’m entitled to make decisions in my own life.”

“Yeah, you are. You make your own decisions, no matter who you hurt in the process.” He closed my door without waiting for a response.

* * *

 

The summer went by quicker than I expected. Pretty soon I was buying new supplies, books and packing my things up. Dad was going to make the drive with me and then catch a flight home once I was settled. I was pretty excited about a road trip with my dad. To my surprise, Kim, Hannah and Emily came to see me off.

“I just can’t believe you’re leaving!” Emily said, hugging me.

“Me, either,” Kim said. “To be honest, I’m a little jealous. I wish I had your courage to do what was best for me. I just can’t bring myself to go too far from Jared.” She looked down, a little sad.

“I guess your mama didn’t tell you what my mama told me,” I said.

Kim looked up. “What’s that?”

“Girl, you need pussy control.”

Kim’s mouth dropped while Emily burst out laughing.

“No, mama never told me that,” Kim said, her eyes wide. She smiled then moved forward to hug me. “I’m going to miss all the random shit you say.”

“Bring me back a souvenir,” Hannah said, hugging me next.

“Maybe an authentic southern cookbook for me,” Emily said when it was her turn.

I laughed. “According to my dad you just put gravy on everything.”

Mom and Collin were the only other two that were waiting to say good bye. I was a little disappointed Paul hadn’t come to see me off. Then again I hadn’t given him any reason to believe he was welcome to. When I was finished, dad and I loaded into the car and set off.

 

 


	16. Touch the Ground

_**"My face above the water** _   
_**My feet can't touch the ground** _   
_**Touch the ground, and it feels like** _   
_**I can see the sands on the horizon"** _

**October**

The first few weeks of school flew by. My class load was large but I was handling it well. I was pretty excited to be learning and preparing for my chosen field. My roommate, Carrie was nice and I’d even made a friend, Jai. There was a boy in one of my classes who was being extra friendly with me. Some people might have called it flirting. I was nice to him but tried not to give him any ideas that he was getting out of the friend zone. To be perfectly honest, I appreciated the attention but I wasn’t interested. I’d managed to score a part time job waitressing so I could afford to eat. It also helped pass the time.

Halloween night was huge on campus, of course. All of the fraternities and sororities threw massive, over the top parties. I stayed in my dorm and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Carrie didn’t come home until seven the next morning, when I was getting up and getting ready for class.

“What are your plans for Thanksgiving, Ryvre?” Carrie asked me as she lay down on her bed.

I shrugged. “Go home if I can afford it.”

“I’ll only go home if my mom forces me,” she said. “Thanksgiving for us is awful. It’s all my aunts and uncles in one place, fighting over who gets more of my grandma’s money when she dies. Which is any day now, honestly, she’s ninety seven. What does your family do? You’re Native American, right?”

“We like to reenact the first Thanksgiving,” I deadpanned. “We sit down at some picnic tables to eat and we hire some white people to come through and smash up our yard. Then we have a peace talk and they sit down to eat with us.”

She stared at me. “You’re fucking with me right?”

“Why would I do that?” I asked, staring right back.

She burst out laughing. “You’ve got one hell of a poker face. You could probably win one of those tournaments.”

I shrugged and smiled. “I’ll see you later after work.”

“Ah, you work the hell pit tonight. Bring me home some leftovers!” she called as I walked out the door.

Later, I was walking to work when someone called my name. I turned around to see Justin sprinting towards me. Inwardly, I groaned.

“You going to work?” he asked, noting my outfit.

“In fact, I am. How did you figure it out? Surely my waitress uniform didn’t give it away,” I said dryly.

He smiled at me. “So do you know what you’re doing for Thanksgiving yet?”

“Not really, it’s still three weeks away,” I said sharply, trying to hint that it wasn’t his business.

He didn’t pick up on it. “Well, if you don’t go home maybe we can do something here? KFC usually stays open so we can get some chicken instead of turkey and celebrate Thanksgiving here.”

“Sounds like you’ve been thinking about this a while.” We were a block away from the restaurant now. I started walking just a little faster.

“Well, yeah. Not really. I just thought it’s a holiday and all, no one should be alone on Thanksgiving.”

“Right. I’ll see you later,” I said pulling open the door. He started to say something but I hurried inside. I was just tying on my apron when a table sat in my section. “I’ll be right with you guys,” I said cheerfully, turning to retrieve some menus.

The man looked up and said, “Water.”

“Okay, I’ll be right with you,” I said, turning again toward the front.

“Agua,” he repeated, slow and loud. He then turned to his wife, “You have to speak slowly to them, sometimes in their language since they don’t understand English.”

My body froze. I turned slowly and looked him in the eyes. “Right, because every person with brown skin must be a Mexican. I’m Native American, you ignorant jackass. Indian. Injun. You know, like the casino?” I flapped my hand over my mouth. “Do you get it now, you racist little pig?”

The man and his wife just stared at me, as did everyone else within earshot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my manager rushing toward me. I turned to her and put my hand up. “Don’t bother with your shit, either.” I ripped my apron off and tossed it on the counter then stormed out the door. I was opening the door to my room in no time. Carrie was out for the night, thankfully. I crawled in bed and pulled the cover up to my neck.

* * *

 

Now that it was November everyone was making plans for Thanksgiving. Jai was a psych major and just loved to analyze me and ask me questions.

“So, Ryvre, what are you thankful for this holiday season?” she asked as we sat down to eat our lunch.

“This bomb ass coat my mom sent me,” I replied, pulling the hood around my face as the wind blew harshly.

“It is a pretty windy day, isn’t it?” she mused, pulling her own hood up and sliding closer to me. “But for real, what are you thankful for?”

“This cheeseburger you bought me,” I said. “Quitting my job was fucking stupid.”

“You had a good reason. Those people treated you like shit. Management and customers alike. Remember the guy who snapped his fingers at you and called you waitress, like you were a dog?”

“How could I forget my favorite customer of the year?” I quipped.

She laughed. “Okay, since you won’t answer my thankful question, how about tell me what you want for Christmas? New Year’s resolutions? What are your hopes for the future? Give me something to write about!”

“Give me something to write about!” I sang, mimicking Buffy. Jai elbowed me, cracking up. “What do I want for Christmas? Let’s see. Maybe some new boots. I don’t do resolutions. Hopes for the future? For you to stop asking me questions while I’m trying to eat.”

She laughed again and held up her gloved hands. “Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone. For now.”

I just shook my head and laughed. Later that night, as I crawled into bed Jai’s questions crept back into my head. I didn’t have an honest answer for any of them except for one. My hope for the future is to go to bed at night happy and wake up without tear stains on my pillow.

 


	17. Drifting

_**I'm slowly drifting away (drifting away)** _   
_**Wave after wave, wave after wave** _   
_**I'm slowly drifting (drifting away)** _   
_**And it feels like I'm drowning** _   
_**Pulling against the stream** _

* * *

**Thanksgiving**

I was flat broke. I'd chosen the worst time to walk out on that shitty job. Mom was desperate to have me home for Thanksgiving though, so she bought my plane ticket. I was happy to be leaving. Justin was acting as if I'd already agreed to stay on campus and eat some greasy fried chicken with him. I packed my stuff and headed for the airport without telling anyone a thing.

When I landed, mom, dad and Collin were at the airport to greet me. Mom immediately began telling me which relatives were coming to eat with us and what she needed help cooking. I just smiled, listening to her chatter away. On the way back to the house, Collin seemed distant and unresponsive to my jabs.

"Anything fun going on this week?" I asked him when we arrived home.

"Emily is cooking today for the pack," he said, not looking at me. "She and Sam are going out of town tomorrow so she offered to have everyone over today. We didn't know you were going to be in town."

"It was a last minute decision. Being flat broke and all."

He only half smiled.

"Let me wash the stink of airplane off and get dressed."

"Sure," he said quietly.

I should have paid more attention to his sullen mood but I was too excited to be back home again. I'd missed everyone and really couldn't wait to see them.

Having showered and dressed I sought out Collin and we headed to Emily's. We were still walking up the sidewalk and I could hear the noise coming from the group inside. I smiled when Collin opened the door.

"Surprise, bitch," I said upon entering. Everyone in the living room turned to see me and froze. The noise in the kitchen died down as well. Quil and Embry poked their heads around the corner to confirm the source of the voice. It was like the scene from one of those bad teen movies.

"Hey, Ryvre," Emily said with a warm smile. She came forward to hug me.

"I brought you this," I said, handing her a gift bag. No one had moved yet, everyone was still staring. Absently, I noticed a few new faces.

She took the bag and looked inside. "Oh! Just what I wanted!" She pulled out the three southern style cookbooks I'd found for her.

"One of those is by Paula Deen. Make sure you have butter before trying to make anything out of that one," I joked. "I know I've been gone a while but did everyone forget what I looked like?" My cheeks started to burn.

"Stop staring," Emily ordered. A few people had the decency to look ashamed. "Kim and Hannah are in the kitchen." She led me into the other room. I tried to ignore the whispers that followed.

Kim and Hannah, for their part, looked pleased to see me. They spent a few minutes catching me up on what I had missed; I learned the names of the new wolves and new imprints. Jared joined us after a while.

Through all of this, I had been looking for one person in particular but still hadn't seen him. Finally, I couldn't bite my tongue anymore. "Paul decided to skip this little shindig?"

Hannah fought a smile and shook her head. "I don't think he's been feeling well lately."

"That's an understatement," Jared snapped.

"Jared!" Kim hissed.

"No, Kim, she needs to hear this," he said harshly then turned his hateful gaze onto me. "You take off across the country for months, not even bothering to call or text. If you really cared how he was doing you would have checked in long before now. Then you waltz in here, uninvited, all dolled up and have the nerve to ask about him. He feels like shit!"

This stunned me, as I really had no idea. I looked at Kim but she suddenly found the countertop fascinating. My gaze drifted to Emily.

"If a wolf is away from his imprint for too long, it hurts him," Emily said quietly. "Physically hurts him."

"We hear him howling every night," Hannah added softly.

"And I've had to see it in his head," Jared snapped, getting my attention again. "Every time he phases, we all see it. Sam had to tell him he wasn't allowed to phase with us anymore. He took him off patrol. We hardly see him anymore, he won't leave his fucking house except to go to work. His mom saw your mom in the grocery store the other day and she screamed at her about what a cold, heartless, she devil her daughter is. You want to know how Paul is doing, there you have it. That's why he decided to 'skip this little shindig'," he mocked.

"I…"

"You what?" Jared snapped, not giving me a chance to answer. "You didn't know? Sam tried to tell you that night at the bonfire, remember? Paul told him to back off, remember that? He cared about you enough to let you go, knowing what kind of pain he would be in. And you're so selfish you didn't even say good bye to him, haven't texted or called or commented on a fucking facebook status. Did you tell him you were coming back today? I bet my left nut you didn't. Because you don't care. You do what you want and you don't care who you hurt along the way."

I looked at my feet, not knowing what to say. Without saying anything, I turned and walked out of the house, avoiding anyone's gaze. When I heard footsteps behind me I spun around to see Collin following behind me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I cried, tears forming in my eyes. Blinking furiously, I tried to keep them from falling. "All these months and you didn't tell me."

"What was I gonna say?" he asked softly. "And what would it have changed, really? Would you have come home? Left school to come home and do what? That's your dream school, even Paul knew that. That's why the night at the bonfire he told Sam to back off and let you go."

This knocked the wind out of my sails. "Just go back to Emily's," I said quietly. I needed to be alone for a while. Collin hesitated but after a moment he went back down the street. I rushed home and headed for my room. When I shut the door I let the tears fall freely.

* * *

I went through the next day on auto pilot. All of our family was there so I plastered on a smile and quipped my way through dinner. Everyone asked me about school and how lucky I was to have gotten into my dream school and have I met any boys.

When everyone had gone, I helped mom clean up and spent the rest of the day in my room. Dad got a flight back to North Carolina for the next day.

"Why won't you stay the rest of the weekend?" mom asked, hugging me.

"A few friends didn't go home over the weekend," I said. "Just want to go back and keep them company."

Mom smiled and hugged me again. Collin did the same and I headed outside. Dad was loading my bag into the trunk of the car. "Ready to go, Little Ryvre?" he asked, offering me a smile.

"Yeah." I started toward the car.

"Ryvre! Wait!" I turned to see Hannah sprinting towards me. "Good, I caught you," she said, trying to catch her breath. "Collin said you decided to go back today. I was afraid I missed you."

"I'll give you a minute to talk," dad said. "Come get me when you're ready." He turned to go back inside.

I turned back to Hannah. "What's so important that you felt the need to run all the way to my house?" She lived close to Forks. It was at least a ten minute walk.

"I just wanted to say sorry about Jared the other day."

"Why? It's not like it's your fault. He's not even your boyfriend. Why apologize for him?" _Especially since everything he said was true_.

Hannah shrugged. "I just want you to know that we all don't agree with him. I've talked to Paul."

I tried to ignore the way my heart skipped at this news.

Hannah continued, "He's proud of you. Even though he's hurting being away from you. He wants you to follow your dreams and be something. He knows you want more from life than just being a housewife. Jared only said those things to you because they're friends. More than that, they're brothers. You know how the wolf pack is. He wanted to hurt you so you could feel a little of what Paul has been feeling. That's all."

I nodded but didn't say anything for a long minute. "Can I ask you something serious?"

"Of course," she said, giving me a small smile.

"How did you get past the imprint thing? Being forced to be together?"

She gave me a real smile then. "We're not forced to be together. I think of it as fate. Seth and I were destined to be together. You know we met for the first time like three years ago? I had a boyfriend. This was even before Seth became a wolf. Well, my boyfriend wasn't that great. Seth used to flirt with me all the time and ask me when I was going to dump that guy. I would just laugh at him. He walked me home from school one day because the tire on my bike went flat. Then Seth disappeared from school for like two weeks and everyone said he was sick. I still remember the day he came back.

Hannah looked off into the distance as she recalled the memory. "He came into the cafeteria and sat down by himself. Very unlike him. So I went over to ask him how he was feeling. When he looked up at me he just stared at me like I was the only person in the room. Even when his friends came over he just looked at me. At the time, of course, I didn't know why." She smiled. "I think if you had met Paul before he was a wolf it would have been the same for the two of you." She ignored my snort. "He genuinely likes you. And I think you like him too. But you're in your own way. You think the imprint is forcing you to be together and it's not. If you want to go date someone and get married, then do it if that's what makes you happy. And Paul will be happy to be your friend. Here's my unsolicited advice: give Paul a chance. A real chance. And you might be surprised. That's all I wanted to say."

Silently, I absorbed this information. "I have to go now."

She held her arms out, asking for a hug. I gave her one.

"Call me," she said. "At least email me. Facebook or something. No more radio silence." She smiled again.

"Sure," I agreed. Hannah left after that and I ducked inside to let my father know I was ready.

When I landed back in North Carolina I didn't text anyone. Carrie had gone home for the week after all, so I had the dorm to myself and I was glad for it. Knowing I was alone, I let it all out. There was a storm of emotions in my heart and I couldn't take it anymore. I'd pushed Paul away for so many reasons but I didn't want to purposefully hurt him. I'm an asshole for sure, but I'm not vindictive or malicious. Just knowing that my being here was putting him in pain was enough to make me cry. I felt bad for not checking in on anyone back in La Push. I was embarrassed by everyone's stares. I was hurt by what Jared said, hurt because it was the truth. Hurt because Jared had only ever been nice to me so to have him lay into me like that, I knew he was upset with me. I'd hurt him too. And Sam, Emily, Jake and everyone. Laying in my bed, staring up at the ceiling, I felt like the biggest piece of shit on the planet.


	18. Waiting on a Cue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ***Trigger Warning for Attempted Suicide***

**_I never knew that everything was fallin' through_ **

**_That everyone I knew was waitin' on a cue  
To turn and run when all I needed was the truth  
But that's how it's got to be_**  
**_It's comin' down to nothin' more than apathy_**  
_**I'd rather run the other way than stay and see**_  
 __ **The smoke and who's still standing when it clears**

* * *

**December**

With Thanksgiving over and done, everyone was focused on Christmas. For us college kids, that meant finals were coming.

"Are you okay?" Jai asked, taking the seat next to me. "You seem off since you came back from Washington."

"Just drained, I guess."

"Your family jumped on you, too, huh? Yeah, everyone bombarded me about school and dating. And to think Christmas is almost here and I have to go back home again." She rolled her eyes.

My stomach twisted just thinking about it. Every day I thought more about Paul and Hannah. Her words before I left had given me some hope that I was doing the right thing but I couldn't help feeling like I was just causing more pain. The professor got our attention then and I tried to focus. Apparently I'd zoned out because I didn't notice when she dismissed class.

"Ms. Phoenix, can I see you for a minute?" Professor Clark asked.

I got out of my seat, gathered my things and met her at her desk.

"When the semester started you turned in amazing work, you know this. Almost perfect grades on everything," she started. "The last two weeks since we returned from break, I've noticed your work isn't up to par. Did something happen over the break?"

I shook my head. "I'm just nervous about finals," I said dismissively.

She studied me for a minute. "As long as you study, you'll be fine. If you need to talk you can come see me anytime, you know this right?"

With a smile, I nodded. "I'm okay. Thanks, though."

She smiled back and let me go. By the time I returned to my room I felt completely drained so I took a nap. When I woke up, I noticed Carrie had come in and dropped her things off but had left again. Fine by me, I decided.

Noticing the sun had gone down, I decided I need food. Silently, I thanked my dad for giving me emergency money and I left the dorm in search of food. Lucky for me there was a twenty-four hour diner nearby.

I had barely made it outside when Justin appeared in front of me. "Hey, Ryvre," he said cheerfully. "I haven't seen you around much."

"Yeah, I've been in the library a lot; studying for finals."

"Yeah, it's hard to believe the semester is almost over," he said.

"Not for me," I replied. It's been dragging by pretty slow for me.

"Where are you headed? Can I walk you?"

"Sure, why not, I just love company," I deadpanned. Unfortunately he didn't pick up on my sarcasm and walked along next to me just chattering away. He sat down across from me at the diner and continued to blabber on. I wasn't even pretending to listen and he finally noticed.

"What's wrong with you?" he snapped.

His sudden attitude change definitely got my attention. "Nothing. What's wrong with you?" I shot back.

He shook his head. "I don't appreciate being ignored. I've gone out of my way to talk to you and you repay me by staring out the window."

"I didn't ask you to come with me," I snapped. "You invited yourself and I'd like it if you left now."

Justin stared at me then leaned in suddenly. "You're lucky I talk to you. Everyone either thinks you're weird or you're a bitch. Really, you're just a lonely, worthless bitch bound to become a hateful cat lady in a few very short years." With that, he stood up and walked out without so much as a glance back.

I looked around to make sure no one else heard him and thankfully the place was empty. Slowly, I ate my food but didn't really taste it. I couldn't help but wonder what the fuck was wrong with me? My mind immediately went to Joey but this was more than grief. Since Collin had called me out on that, I'd begun remembering every little thing that had happened between Joey and I. I had loved him sure, as much as any sixteen year old could love. But Collin had been right when he said Joey was a liar and a cheater. That was one of the things that turned me off of Paul. He admitted to seeing many girls at once. I couldn't trust him with my heart. He had sacrificed his well being just for me to come across the country for school.

When I paid for my food I walked back to the dorm, trying to hold myself together. I was failing miserably. Jared was right, I was selfish. Selfish for leaving and for not checking in. Justin was right, I was worthless. I was definitely lonely. I'd pushed everyone away so that there was no one left to care for me.

There was no one left to  _stop_  me.

Carrie was an insomniac and kept a stash of sleeping pills in our bathroom. I felt calm as I stood up, walked to the bathroom and retrieved the bottle. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I stared at the bottle. And I didn't feel scared. I didn't feel anything. Shouldn't I feel something?

I opened the bottle and took them two at a time until there were none left. I dropped it on the floor and lay down. I didn't hurt anymore. It was as easy as falling asleep.

* * *

**Sam POV**

It was almost three in the morning when I got the call.

"Sam, your phone," Emily said, poking me in the side.

Quickly, I sat up and took it off the charger. I was more than a little surprised to see Collin's name on the screen. "Hello?"

"Sam! I need you to get Paul. I've been calling but he won't answer!"

"Okay, calm down and tell me what's wrong," I said firmly.

I could hear him take a deep breath. "Ryvre is in the hospital. Her roommate found her and she wasn't breathing. They don't know for sure what happened but her roommate found an empty pill bottle. They think she..." he trailed off but I understood. "Mom and dad are getting us a flight to North Carolina right now."

"Call me when you know more about what happened. I'll get Paul, don't worry."

"Thanks, Sam," he said, his voice thick. We hung up then. I got out of bed and slipped my clothes on. Without waking Emily I slipped out the front door and took off towards Paul's house. I knocked hard on his window, unsurprised when it slid open a moment later.

"What do you want?" he asked sullenly. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like hell.

"I need to tell you something but I need you to remain calm."

He stared at me a moment then climbed out the window. "What is it then?"

"Ryvre is in the hospital."

A fire lit in his eyes. "What happened?"

Hesitating a moment, I told him what Collin had told me. Paul had started to shake before I finished. He disappeared into the woods, a long painful howl erupted in the quiet night.

* * *

I waited until nine the next morning before I called the pack together. I asked Hannah and Kim to come as well. Within half an hour everyone was gathered in my backyard, chattering amongst each other.

"Is this everybody?" I asked Emily, looking for any missing faces.

"I think so," she replied quietly.

"Paul's not here," Jacob said, looking around.

"Neither is Collin," Embry added.

"I know. They're gone," I announced. Silence fell upon everyone as they looked at me.

"What do you mean they're gone?" Jared asked.

I looked at my feet then back up to the group. "I got a call at three o'clock this morning. Ryvre is in the hospital."

Kim clapped a hand over her mouth. "What happened? Is she hurt?"

I shook my head as Emily moved closer to me. "She tried to kill herself."

Kim burst into tears. The others stared at me as they tried to process this information.

"Collin and his parents left this morning to fly out there."

"What about Paul, didn't he go with them?" Embry asked.

"When I told him what happened he phased and took off into the woods. I honestly don't know where he is," I told them.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Jared asked, staring at the ground. "What I said to her at Thanksgiving."

"It's no one's fault," Emily said softly to him. "Ryvre's choices are her own and no one else's. I think we all know that she doesn't do anything she doesn't really want to."

Kim chuckled a little, wiping her eyes. "Isn't that the truth."

"I just don't understand," Hannah said, shaking her head.

"I don't think any of us do," Emily agreed.

"Why did she do that?" Hannah continued. "What did she do? Did she leave a note?"

"I don't know many details," I said. "Collin didn't know much yet, just that she was in the hospital and she was unconscious. You can all go now," I said. "If I hear anything else I promise to let you all know about it."

The group quietly dispersed, Kim still crying as Jared tried to comfort her.

"I just hope she's okay," Emily said, looking towards the sun. "And Paul. Wherever he is."

"Me too."


	19. Waves

_**I wish I could make it easy**  _

_**Easy to love me, love me** _  
_**But still I reach** _  
_**To find a way** _  
_**I'm stuck here in between** _  
_**I'm looking for the right words to say** _

* * *

**Ryvre POV**

I woke to the sounds of beeping all around me. When I opened my eyes all I saw were bright lights. Only hospitals keep lights that bright. I tried to sit up but found my wrists were restrained. "What the fuck, really?"

"You tried to kill yourself," a female voice said. "So, yeah, really." She stepped over to the bed. "I'm Maggie, your nurse this morning. How are you feeling?"

"Like warmed over shit," I rasped.

"I'd imagine so. Your throat is sore from when we had to shove a tube down your throat. We had to pump your stomach. Do you have any idea what you took?"

I shook my head.

"Okay, when did you take it?"

"Ten? Maybe?" I couldn't remember.

"Why did you take it?" She looked at me seriously now.

"I had a headache," I snapped. "Can I have some damn water, please?"

She left without saying anything and I was glad to have her out of my face. I blinked, trying to force the tears away. How the fuck did I end up here?

There was a commotion in the hallway then.

"Only family is allowed in!" a nurse was yelling.

"I'm going through that door whether you like or not, you just try to stop me!" a voice yelled back.

I froze. It was Paul. Fucking Christ. I closed my eyes as the door swung open. He stood in the doorway for a moment then quietly stepped in, closed the door and came to sit in the chair next to me.

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked quietly.

This surprised me a little and I opened my eyes. He looked different from when I had last seen him. A little stubble on his cheeks, and bags under his eyes. "I didn't want to worry you," I said stupidly.

He laughed once and put his hands over his face, then looked back at me. "And this seemed like the way to go? Why did you do this?"

"I didn't want to hurt anymore," I admitted softly.

"Why were you hurting?"

"Because I left and hurt you and Jared said I was selfish and then Justin told me I was worthless. I've already hurt you so much there's no way you should ever forgive me and I don't want to be lonely anymore," I blurted, my voice shaking with emotion.

Paul looked down then back at me. "Who's Justin?" he asked.

I laughed once. "An idiot that I go to school with. Is that all you cared about?"

"Of course not. Jared is a dick and I'm going to kick his ass for what he said to you," Paul said seriously. "You've dreamed of going to UNC since you were a kid, right? Why should you stay home because of me? If I made you stay then I would have been the selfish one. So there's nothing to forgive there. And you're not worthless. I'm going to find that Justin guy and kick his ass too."

I laughed, tears forming again. Maggie came into the room then with a cup of water. "Only family is allowed in here," she said, looking at Paul.

"He is family," my dad said, coming into the room. Mom came rushing over to me and hugged me as tightly as she could.

"You should have called me and talked to me," she cried. Dad put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her away to give me some room. She took the cup from Maggie and held it for me to get a drink.

"She needs to rest," dad said. "We just wanted to come in and tell you we love you." He kissed my forehead then motioned for the others to follow.

Collin looked at me. "I just want you to know this was the stupidest thing you've ever done." Behind him, mom gasped. "So many people love you and care about you. You have no idea how much this hurts us. If you needed to talk all you had to do was call. If you needed professional help, dad would have found it for you and you know that." He took a deep breath. "I'll see you in the morning. I love you." Then he turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Paul was the first one in my room as soon as visiting hours began the next morning.

"So Jared was right," I said as he sat down. "I am selfish."

"Why do you say that?"

"What Collin said last night."

Paul shook his head but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," I blurted.

"For what?"

"For leaving. Not calling. For putting you in so much pain. For what I did last night."

He shook his head again. "I'm not going to lie, you did hurt me. But we didn't exactly start off on the right foot. You and I have been rocky since day one and I haven't done much to change that either, so I can't blame that all on you. All we've done is butt heads. I didn't exactly give you much of a reason to stay in Washington, did I?"

"No," I admitted softly.

"We both had a hand in this," he said.

"When did you get so insightful?" I teased.

He shrugged. "I'm learning a lot in those anger management classes."

"You're still going?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, and I'm glad I am."

I smiled at him. The door opened a moment later and dad came in. "I have some news," he said sadly. "The state law says they have to hold you for forty eight hours and then place you in a treatment facility. I've spoken with the doctor and he's agreed to place you in a facility in Seattle. You'll leave first thing tomorrow morning. We will go to the university and get your stuff."

My heart dropped. "How long will I be there?"

Dad shrugged. "They don't know. When you get there, they will do an assessment and decide based on that. It could be two weeks or it could be six months. That's up to them to decide."

"I'll go to the university," Paul said, standing up.

"I'll stay until you get back then," dad agreed. I told him my room number and where my car keys were located so he could drive back. When he was gone, dad looked at me. "I'm so disappointed in myself."

"In yourself?" I questioned. "Dad, this wasn't on you."

"Yes, it was. I should have noticed the signs. You were sleeping all the time, you never left your room, you didn't go out. Several times I walked past your room and thought I heard you crying. You didn't go to prom. I thought it was all because of Joey." He covered his face. "I should have sent you to therapy after Joey died. When you came home for Thanksgiving you seemed fine. Collin told me what happened at Emily's. I should have known that's why you wanted to come back to school early." He shook his head, angry at himself.

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty, dad," I said softly.

He looked at me, tears streaking down his face. "I should have seen the signs."

"I hid it well," I said, tearing up again. He got out of the chair and hugged me tightly.

* * *

**Paul POV**

Ryvre's dorm room was a mess. Her roommate had some of her clothes hidden in her closet or under the bed. I was only able to identify them as Ryvre's by her scent. When I'd gotten all of her clothes, I started on her other things. I put her phone in her laptop bag and set it aside to take to her in the hospital, if they allowed her to even have it that is. I emptied the drawers of her dresser and the small nightstand. The comforter came off next. I lifted up the pillows and my heart stopped. The necklace I had made for her was there, it had been tucked under her pillow. She had been sleeping with it, I realized. Smiling, I picked it up and put it in the laptop bag. When I had gotten everything, I started carrying everything down to her car. Several students were staring at me, obviously wondering who I was. It was easy enough to ignore them. Just as I loaded the last of her stuff and closed the trunk, I noticed a boy walking toward me.

"What are you doing? This isn't your car," he snapped.

"And how do you know that?" I asked, leaning against it.

"Because I know the girl this car belongs to."

"So do I. She sent me to get it." I twirled the keys around my finger. "Who are you?"

He hesitated as if he didn't want to answer. "Justin. Ryvre is my friend."

"Justin," I repeated. "So you're the one who told her she was worthless. You sound like a great friend." Ryvre's sarcasm must have been rubbing off on me.

"How do you know about that?" the boy snapped.

"She told me, moron." I turned to leave. "Don't try to contact her anymore."

He started to argue but I wasn't listening. I shut the door and turned the car on, effectively cutting off anything he was saying. In the rearview I watched him stomp away.

* * *

**Sam POV**

The pack members were once again gathered in my backyard.

"You have news on Ryvre?" Quil asked.

I nodded. "Collin called me. It turns out she took her roommate's sleeping medicine and overdosed. They had to pump her stomach. Under the state law, they have to hold her for forty eight hours then they're moving her to a hospital in Seattle."

"Have you heard from Paul?" Jared asked after a long silence.

I grinned. "Actually, he's with Ryvre. Collin said he was at the hospital when they got there."

"You mean, he ran across the country in wolf form?" Kim asked.

"There's no limit to what we would do for our imprints," Seth said, looking at Hannah.

I saw Leah roll her eyes and decided it was the end of this meeting. "I don't know when they'll be moving her or where to. I'll let everyone know as soon as I hear something."

With that, the group dispersed.


	20. Disregard

_**Let's rearrange  
I wish you were a stranger I could disengage ** _   
_**Just say that we agree and then never change  
Soften a bit until we all just get along ** _   
_**But that's disregard** _   
__**Find another friend and you discard**

* * *

"Ryvre, you have a visitor," nurse April said. She led me out into the garden area where Paul was waiting for me.

"Hey, stranger, fancy meeting you here," I said, giving him a small smile.

"I come here all the time," he quipped. He walked with me to the gazebo and took a seat. I sat down across from him. "How are you settling in?"

I snorted. "You make it sound like this is my lavish new apartment."

"Sorry, I just don't really know what questions to ask you." He looked down, confused.

I felt bad. He was trying at least. "It's okay, I guess. You know, for an insane asylum." I couldn't help but quip.

Paul shook his head. "I think they call it a recovery center now."

"Yeah, for crazy people."

"You're not crazy," he said firmly, looking at me.

"Imagine what they would think if I told them my brother was a werewolf," I mused.

"Ha ha," he said, glaring at me.

"They keep it too hot in there," I said suddenly. "They won't let us wear shoes with laces or belts. My mom brought me some sweat pants and they took the strings out. They took them out of my hoodie too." I ran my finger around the metal ring as I said this. "Since this is only my second full day here I haven't gotten to see the therapist yet. She comes tomorrow. They're going to put me on medicine."

Paul didn't say anything. I was too afraid to look at him.

"I bet this wasn't what you were expecting," I said quietly. So low that I barely even heard myself speak. He heard me anyway.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

I stayed focused on the pair of slippers on my feet. "When you imprinted. Probably not exactly what you had in mind."

Again, he was quiet but he moved to sit next to me. "No, not really," he agreed finally.

It was my turn to be silent. I wasn't sure what to say to that. "We went to art this morning. Something about painting is supposed to help us focus. Healthy coping mechanism or something like that. I painted a dove."

"Doves are…cute, I guess?"

Finally, I looked at him. "When you're in wolf form do you chase animals for fun?"

"What?" he sputtered. "No, why would we do that?"

"Why not? Wouldn't it be fun?"

Paul shrugged. "I guess so?"

I laughed at the confused expression on his face, which caused him to smile. "This is kinda weird, isn't it?" I asked.

"Us getting along, yeah it is," he quipped.

I elbowed him. "I actually meant being here. I never thought I would end up in this type of place. As a patient, that is."

"How long do they think you'll be here?" he finally asked.

"At least two weeks. I'm considered a short term resident. Which means, they think my suicide attempt was a one-off and they just want to find the right treatment for me. Dad is already looking into a doctor in Forks for me to go to once I get out. I should be out before Christmas though," I said. "Dad is blaming himself for all of this. He thinks he should have gotten me in therapy after Joey died. I don't know, maybe he should have. But it's not his fault. None of it is."

Paul was quiet, but I didn't mind. I didn't need him to say anything right then.

"Ryvre," April called, approaching the gazebo. "Time's up. It's time for group."

Paul and I stood up at the same time. "Thanks for coming," I said awkwardly. "Tell everyone I said hello. Actually tell them I'll be back soon to raise some more hell and they'd better be ready."

He laughed. "No one's ever ready for you."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I teased.

Again, he just laughed. It occurred to me that I'd never heard him laugh so much. "Get inside before you get into trouble."

"Have you met me? I'm nothing but trouble," I joked but I was heading toward the door. My vigilant nurse, April was waiting for me.

* * *

"Had you thought about hurting yourself before?" Doctor Conway asked.

"No," I answered.

He scratched something on his notepad. "Was this the first time you've hurt yourself?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

More writing. "Why did you do it?"

I sighed. "I felt lonely. I was hurting everyone around me and I wanted it to stop."

"How were you hurting the people around you?"

I didn't really know how to answer this one. "I wanted to go to school in North Carolina. My friends were upset that I went so far away from home but it's the school my dad went to so I wanted to go there too."

He nodded and scribbled again. This went on for another hour. When he finally let me go I felt exhausted.

"It's med time," April called.

The other patients got up and went to the window to collect their medicine. I slowly joined them feeling more unlike myself than ever.

I was in the lounge reading a book when one of the nurses stepped inside. "Ryvre, you have a visitor." She smiled at me and motioned for me to follow.

It was raining so they didn't let me go outside this time. Instead, she led me to the family room where Paul was waiting for me. He stood up when I entered. His white t-shirt was tight on his upper body, I noticed.

"You, again?" I teased, sitting in the chair across from him.

"Me, again," he confirmed. "Did you see the doctor today?"

I nodded. "Asked me a thousand questions but didn't really do anything except write me several prescriptions. I like group better."

"Why is that?"

"We all take turns talking about why we're here and what we're feeling. It's nice to know that it's not just me who feels this way and has these thoughts. Other people do as well, though our situations are way different," I said, staring at the table. Admitting my thoughts to him made me feel too vulnerable. I couldn't look at him.

"You do anything fun today?" he asked.

"Read a book. We played bingo. I didn't win." I shrugged.

"Well, Jared is planning to ask Kim to marry him," he said suddenly.

This actually made me perk up a little. "I can't imagine what her answer will be," I quipped.

"Probably something like, 'Oh, Jared, of course!' followed by lots of squealing." He grinned at me.

I laughed. "There's no way they can get married before Sam and Emily."

"They've been engaged for months and haven't planned a damn thing," Paul said. "I think Emily doesn't want to flaunt it in front of Leah."

I felt sad for Leah all over again. "What if she never imprints, though? Will Sam put off marrying Emily forever to avoid hurting Leah?"

Paul shrugged. "If that's what Emily wants, then probably. It's her cousin. She's already hurt her enough, is how Emily sees it."

"How is everyone else?" I asked, deciding to drop that subject for now.

"Everyone is good. The Cullens are still around so more kids keep turning into wolves. One last week was only twelve." He shook his head.

"Aren't they going to move on?" I wasn't really interested in their future plans, I just wanted them gone.

"I think they want to. Edward doesn't want to leave Bella and Bella doesn't want to leave her dad. Jake is all up in arms about it. He keeps trying to make her choose him but he doesn't understand that she won't. You can't force someone to be with you just because you want it," he said, looking away.

I had a feeling we weren't just talking about Jake and Bella anymore. "I understand. It has to be her choice."

We were silent for a long time, neither of us looking at each other. "My medicine doesn't make me feel any different," I blurted suddenly. "I thought it would but it doesn't. Of course today was the first day they gave it to me. I could be a whole different person tomorrow. Like a zombie."

Paul smiled just a little. "I doubt that. But we'll see."

I smiled back at his unspoken promise. The nurse opened the door and let me know time was up. Paul walked me to the door. "See you later," he said with a smile before heading toward the front door. I tried to ignore the sad feeling of watching him leave.

* * *

"Same old Ryvre, I see," Paul teased, turning to face me. He was standing in the gazebo. "Definitely not a zombie."

I grinned. "You, again," I replied with a smile.

"What, were you expecting someone else?"

"Everyone else knows how to leave me the hell alone," I teased. "You just keep coming back."

"What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment," he replied, grinning.

"We played volleyball today," I said suddenly. "They think physical exercise is good for us. Spoiler alert: I'm really good at whacking the ball. Not so good at aiming it or scoring."

"In other words you suck at it," he joked.

"What can I say, I'm full of rage just waiting to be released."

"Someone should get you a punching bag."

"That's actually a good idea," I said, thinking about it.

Paul laughed. "Leah said to tell you hello. She misses you."

"I miss her too. Why doesn't she come visit me? Speaking of which, how come you're the only one to come visit? Besides my parents I haven't seen anyone else."

Paul hesitated for a moment. "Your dad asked that we keep the visitors to a minimum. They don't want too many people coming up here. Trust me, everyone wants to see you. As soon as I leave here everyone starts blowing my phone up wanting to know how you are and when you're coming home. Your dad thinks that if they all come up here it will be too much for you."

This made me a little angry. Leah, Kim, Hannah and Emily were my friends. I wanted to see them too. Dad and I were going to have a serious talk about this.

"Well, tell them I'm still me. Alive and kicking. Medicated, so I'm kicking a little slower and slightly off center," I quipped. Paul snorted but didn't comment. I looked at my feet. "And tell Hannah I'm taking her advice."

From the corner of my eye I saw him look at me. "What advice?"

"The advice I didn't know I needed," I said quietly. A little louder, I said, "She'll know what I'm talking about. Just pass the message along."

"Of course. That's what I'm here for. Messenger boy." He rolled his eyes.

I laughed and shook my head. "Here comes Nurse Hatchet. Guess time is up already."

Paul grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow." He hesitated for a second as if there was something more he wanted to say. He left then without saying anything else. I watched him go, a little confused.

* * *

**Paul POV**

It was Kim's birthday. Emily was throwing her a birthday dinner and the entire pack was invited. My trip to Seattle to see Ryvre had taken up most of the day so by the time I got to Sam's house everyone was already there. Everyone called to me when I entered the house.

"How's Ryvre?" Kim asked, rushing to meet me.

"She's okay. Still Ryvre as ever," I said, smiling a little. Hannah was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. I looked at her. "She said to tell you that she's taking your advice," I said, raising my eyebrow. A big smile spread across her face.

"What does that mean?" Kim asked, looking back at Hannah and back to me. "What advice?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, she wouldn't tell me."

Kim turned and narrowed her eyes at Hannah. "You. Outside. Now." She stalked toward the back door, snatching Hannah's arm along the way.

"What's that about?" Emily asked, sliding up next to me.

"I have no earthly idea," I said. I followed Emily into the kitchen.

"So, you and Ryvre are getting along then?" she asked with a smile.

Involuntarily, I smiled as well. "She hasn't tried to claw my eyes out so I'm counting it as a win."

Emily shook her head. "How is she? Really?"

"She wants to come home, obviously. She wants to see everyone but at the same time I think she's afraid for everyone to see her, you know what I mean? She seems embarrassed. Every time things start to get too serious she blurts out something random." I shook my head.

"Well, we all know she's skilled at deflection. A master of turning the attention away from her when she doesn't want it," Emily said. "She tried to end her own life. People don't just do that, they have a reason for it. Maybe she's afraid when she comes home we might judge her for it or look at her like she's crazy. She doesn't want to be treated any differently just because she's getting professional help."

"What can we do about that?" I asked. She still had a week and a half before the doctor would even consider letting her come home.

Emily shrugged. "You keep doing what you're doing. The rest of us will adjust accordingly. I would like to throw her a coming home party, if you want to run the idea by her. If not, tell her it's okay. We're all getting together for Christmas anyway she can come then if she feels comfortable."

"I'll ask her. After the last holiday here I don't think she'll be up for it, though," I replied, thinking about Thanksgiving.

"Jared was out of line," Emily agreed. "He wants to apologize to her. I think he blames himself a lot."

I felt a rush of anger but I pushed it away. Jared avoided me for days when I got back home after seeing Ryvre. Finally, he came to my house and broke down in tears over what he'd said to Ryvre. I was still pissed at him, though and I hadn't seen him much since then.

"Where's Kim?" Emily asked suddenly. "Dinner is ready."


	21. Space

_**I know, that I can do better** _   
_**My loyalty with you is forever** _   
_**I suppose, that you should know that baby** _   
_**'Cause you the one that got me going crazy** _   
_**Yeah, stop acting like it's okay** _

* * *

**Ryvre POV**

It was Tuesday, December fifteenth. I had been here for nine days now. My therapist was optimistic about my recovery, he believed I should be able to go home next Monday. I was thrilled. And terrified.

My father had found a therapist in Forks for me to go to. Her name was Doctor August O'Connor. Dr Conway had arranged for her to visit me this week as well. He wanted to talk to her and help with my plan of care. Either way, it was one step closer to being home.

The clock on the wall said it was almost three. I blinked and looked at it again. Paul had been coming visit me every day at two. He was never late.

Paul came to see me every day for the first week of my stay. I even started to look forward to his visits. When my parents came I almost got upset with my dad for telling the others to stay away but then I decided it was probably for the best. I could see Emily and the girls when I got home. Right now is my time to recover. I needed to focus on me for once. Paul didn't judge me or force me to talk about anything that I didn't want to. He let me ramble. He didn't treat me like I was a doll that was going to break, like my mother did. That's what I liked about his visits. He still teased me.

"Ryvre, you have a visitor," nurse April called from the doorway.

About time, I thought. I followed her to the family room. "You're late," I said as I entered, then stopped. "You're not Paul."

Jared was standing awkwardly by the couch. He gave me a pained smile. "No, I'm Jared," he joked.

I didn't move from the doorway. "What are you doing here? Where's Paul?"

"He couldn't come today, something came up," Jared said. "Will you sit with me?" He pulled a chair out and motioned to it.

Reluctantly, I crossed the room and sat down. Before I could speak, Jared blurted, "I'm sorry. That's what I came to say. I'm sorry about what I said to you at Thanksgiving. I was upset that my friend was hurt and I blamed you. I was feeling his pain as well, you know. And I lashed out when I shouldn't have, it really wasn't my business. Paul was actually so proud of you for doing what you wanted and following your dream and trying to make something of yourself but you were hurting him. And you came in Emily's house like you were a rock star or something and it pissed me off to see you so happy when Paul was in so much pain. I had no idea what you were going through and I'm sorry. I just hope you can forgive me."

He wrung his hands, staring intently at the table.

For a long time I didn't say anything. "I forgive you, Jared."

He looked up at me.

"You hurt me. I'm not going to lie. What you said really stung. Maybe I did need to hear it, I don't know. Someone needed to knock me down a peg or two. But I get why you said it," I told him quietly. "You were just looking after him. But I didn't know. No one told me what would happen. Sam tried to but Paul didn't let him. I would never do anything to hurt him on purpose."

Jared smiled at this. "He's kinda growing on you, isn't he?"

"Like mushrooms on cow shit." I scrunched my face up. "Probably not the best metaphor."

Jared just laughed, shaking his head. "I'm glad to see you're still a firecracker."

I just smiled back. "So, are you going to tell me what was so important that Paul didn't come today? He comes every day."

Jared shifted in his chair. "Pack business."

I raised an eyebrow. "What aren't you telling me?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll tell you, but please don't freak out."

"Yeah, because those words alone aren't enough to make me freak out," I shot back.

"Ryvre, breathe. You can't get upset."

"So help me, if you don't spit it out right now I'm going to choke you, Jared."

"There were some vampires in the area last night," he said quickly. "They were looking for the Cullens or something, I don't know, Sam is still talking to Carlisle to work out the details. Anyway, Paul, Jake and Embry were on patrol. The vampires caught their scent and ambushed Embry. There were five of them. Paul got to them first and killed two of them. They had Embry on the ground but Paul showing up made the vampires focus on him. By the time Jake and Sam got there Paul was hurt pretty bad. He killed another one before he went down. Sam and Jake took out the other two. He's got some broken bones but nothing serious. Carlisle checked him and Embry out to make sure there was no internal bleeding. They're going to be fine but Sam ordered them both to rest until the bones were healed. Paul's been asleep all day as far as I know. Carlisle gave them both some sedatives to keep them from getting up too soon."

I sat staring at him in shock. "Were you going to tell me at all?"

"Sam didn't want me to. He knew it would just upset you."

Tears started to burn my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Jared was too busy staring at the table to notice them anyway. I stood up. "I'm going back to my room now," I said quietly. "Thanks for coming."

* * *

I sat in the lounge all day the next day, staring at the clock, trying to will time to move faster. After lunch, I tried reading a book but I couldn't focus on a single word.

"Ryvre," the nurse said from the doorway. "You have a visitor."

I was already out of my seat and heading toward the door. She walked me to the family room.

Paul was waiting for me. He smiled when I entered the room. "Still not a zombie, I see," he quipped.

Without replying, I walked right up to him and threw my arms around him. At first he was too stunned to move but he finally wrapped his own arms around my shoulders. "Jared told you, didn't he?"

"Yes," I said, my reply muffled.

He sighed but didn't move. Finally I pulled away and sat down at the table. "What happened?" I asked, looking him over for scratches. Of course, there were none.

Paul took the seat across from me. "They came out of nowhere and rushed Embry. I got there as fast as I could. He was on the ground, not moving. I thought he was dead. Then they attacked me but I was ready for them. I killed two of them. One of them had a mate, though. He went ballistic and I got tripped up somehow. If it weren't for Jake and Sam I might be dead by now." He went quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry I didn't visit yesterday. Sam wouldn't let me. He had the vamp doctor drug me so I would stay in bed."

I laughed. "You were injured and you're still going to apologize for not visiting me." I shook my head. "Jared was probably the worst person to send in your place. He couldn't keep a secret for shit. I would have rather not known at all. After he told me what happened all I wanted to do was leave and come see you but of course, they wouldn't let me."

"You were worried about me?" he asked. He grinned as if he were teasing but I could detect the seriousness in his eyes.

"Yes," I said honestly.

"You shouldn't be. I'm pretty tough, you know," he teased again.

I shook my head. "You're an idiot."

He smiled. "What did you do yesterday? And today? Catch me up."

"Well, let's see yesterday I woke up and had breakfast. I ate French toast and orange juice. And then we went to group. And then we went to art again. I painted a picture of you, actually."

"A picture of me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you're in wolf form fighting a squirrel." He laughed. "The squirrel is winning."

This made him laugh harder. "I can't wait to see it."

I grinned. "We went outside for a little while. We did some yoga. It's supposed to be relaxing or whatever. Then we had lunch. I ate a salad because the chicken casserole they were serving looked like vomit. Then Jared came. I saw my therapist and we watched t.v. Then we went to bed. And then this morning I woke up and had eggs for breakfast. We played bingo. I didn't win, again. Then I did a puzzle. For lunch I had meatloaf which was actually more like a block of baked hamburger with zero flavor at all. Then I read a book and then you were here. And that's it."

Paul smiled, shaking his head. "Sounds like you had an action packed day."

"Will there ever be a time when you don't turn into a werewolf?"

He seemed caught off guard by my question. "Eventually, I guess? Why?"

"I just hate that this threat of vampires is constantly looming over us."

Paul stared at me, seeming to pick up on what I wasn't saying. "The Cullens will be gone soon enough."

"What about after?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. We didn't have vampires here for years until the Cullens showed up again. They brought all the trouble with them. If they leave, maybe we'll be left alone again but maybe not. Why are you so worried about it?"

"I just don't want anyone getting hurt anymore. I can't live in constant fear that one day you'll walk out the door and never come back," I finally admitted.

Paul studied me for a long time. "Is that what really scares you about the imprint?"

"I'm not talking about the imprint right now," I snapped. "It's not what this is about."

He backed off. "I know how to take care of myself."

"Is that why you spent all day yesterday sedated, recovering from injuries?" I shot back.

"I protected my family. They would have killed Embry if I hadn't showed up. Or invaded the town. Who knows how many people would be dead if they had decided to ravage La Push. That's why we turn into wolves. We protect our people, Ryvre," he said harshly. "I got hurt on the job but I'd rather it be me than someone else."

"What about me?" I asked, the words escaping my lips before I could stop them.

"What about you?" he snapped.

"What happens to me if something happens to you?"

This seemed to knock the wind out of him and he calmed down. "I don't know."

We stared at each other in silence until the nurse poked her head in. "Time's up, Ryvre."

"Come back tomorrow?" I asked, hopefully.

"Yeah," he agreed, standing up. "See you tomorrow."


	22. Outrun Me

_**Give me a run for my money** _   
_**There is nobody, no one to outrun me** _   
_**So give me a run for my money** _   
_**Sippin' bubbly, feelin' lovely, livin' lovely** _

* * *

**Ryvre POV**

"Home, sweet, home," I sang happily as dad pulled into our driveway. It felt like I'd been gone forever. Mom had hung some Christmas lights on the house. Santa and his reindeer were parked in front of mom's flower bed.

Dad smiled as he opened the door for me. "It's good to have you back here."

"The reign of terror continues," Collin said, stepping onto the porch.

"You bet your ass it does," I said with a smile.

Mom had decorated inside the house as well. Garland hung over the railing on the stairs. She built a Christmas village on the coffee table. I noticed something was missing, though. "Where's the tree? All this Christmas stuff and no tree?"

"I wanted to wait for you to do it with me," mom said. "Like we always do."

I smiled, feeling a little emotional.

"Are those tears?" Collin said, stepping forward to gawk at me. "Mom, I think you broke her."

"Crazy side effect from my medicine, actually. Random watering of the eyes."

Collin smiled. "Sure, whatever you say." He shook his head. "If you're up for it, we can go to Emily's and see everybody."

Everyone's faces flashed in my mind and I suddenly felt sick. "I'm kinda tired from the drive home. I think I'm just going to go lay down for a little bit."

Mom and dad exchanged a look.

"I know what you're thinking, and I'm okay, I promise. I was too excited about coming home to sleep last night and I'm tired, that's all."

"Okay, Ryvre," mom agreed.

I took my bag and went up to my room then. Dad had brought all my stuff from school home for me. Mom had washed all my clothes and put them away. All my textbooks and notebooks were packed in a box in my closet. That was one box I'd not be opening anytime soon. My laptop bag was lying on my desk. I picked it up and crossed to my bed. I wanted to see everyone, I really did; just not all at once and not today. I opened my bag and pulled my laptop out. Of course, it had been in the bag so it was dead. I reached in for the charger and Paul's necklace came out with it.

I'd forgotten I had it under my pillow in my dorm. Paul must have found it and stuck it in the bag for me. Another wave of emotion rolled over me as I tied the necklace on. It was the first time I'd actually worn it since he'd given it to me. Looking in the mirror at it, I decided I liked the way it looked on me. Smiling, I went to my closet and picked out a pair of jeans and a black sweater. I laced up my knee high boots and went to Collin's room.

"I'm ready," I said, smiling.

He stared at me for a second, surprised but he recovered quickly. "Let me get my shoes."

A minute later we had our coats on and were headed out the door. Collin was busy on his phone as we walked toward Emily's.

"What, are you warning the townspeople of my return?" I asked, pointing at his phone.

He laughed. "No, I was actually just checking with Sam who was on patrol."

"Has anyone seen more vampires?"

"Thankfully, no, but it has Sam on edge. I'm sure you understand." He paused. "Did Paul know you were coming home today?"

"Yes, why?"

"I figured he would have been at the house to greet you or something, that's all." He shrugged.

"He thought I might want the day to myself. Without anyone asking me questions for once," I said, elbowing my brother.

"In that case, you better turn around right now because Emily, Hannah and Kim are just waiting to ambush you," he said with a laugh.

"I'm not afraid of them. Besides, they can't be any worse than my doctors."

"You say that now," he warned. He looked back at his phone. "Sam said the girls have been notified and are awaiting your arrival."

I laughed. "Gee, thanks."

"Paul is on patrol so you won't see him for a while."

"I don't remember asking about him," I quipped.

"You asked me with your eyes."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

A few minutes later we were walking up the sidewalk to Emily's front door. Collin knocked and Emily opened it a second later. "Ryvre!" she exclaimed. "We've missed you so much!" She pulled me into a hug. Kim pounced on me the second Emily let me go. Hannah hugged me tightly after Kim let me go.

"Come in the kitchen, I made brownies," Emily said, taking my hand. Collin waved good bye as he shut the door behind him, smiling widely at me. "I know you didn't want a big get together but I made you a special treat." She pushed the plate of brownies towards me.

"Special? Is there weed in these?" I asked as I picked one up.

Emily choked on a laugh. "No, there's not." She shook her head at me. "Mischievous as ever."

"Of course I'm still mischievous. I was in a hospital not prison," I quipped.

The girls stared at me for a minute before Hannah chuckled softly.

"Please don't walk on eggshells around me," I blurted. "You all know what I did and where I was, I'm trying to recover and we all know that I use humor as a coping mechanism so please just let me have my dark sense of humor and laugh with me."

Emily smiled. Kim grinned at me. "This is why I like you so much," she said, shaking her head.

"We missed you," Hannah said, putting an arm around me and giving me a half hug.

"Of course you did. I'm awesome," I teased. "So, what have I missed here? I heard there are some new wolves."

"Several new ones, actually," Emily said. "And some new imprints. I'm sure you'll meet them all later. It's getting hard to keep up with names now. Sam is worried that the Cullens being so close will cause more to keep phasing."

"I wish they would just go," I said quietly.

"Don't we all," Kim replied. "Bella is still hanging out with Jake. The other day he said Bella wanted Edward to turn her and he's trying to talk her out of it but of course she's all about being with Edward forever. She doesn't want to leave her dad though so they're just sticking around."

"Turn her?" I repeated. "Like, turn her into a vampire? Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously." Kim rolled her eyes.

I shook my head in disgust. "Just keep her lame ass away from me and we'll be good."

Hannah laughed. "I wish. She comes to see Jake almost every day. They meet Edward at the La Push line like some sort of custody exchange."

"Ah, it's good to be home," I replied sarcastically. "So, where is Leah today? I was hoping she would be here."

"She got a job, actually," Emily said. "At the Wal-Mart in Forks. She's a cashier."

"And she hates it," Hannah added.

"With the passion of a thousand suns," Kim supplied.

"She's looking forward to seeing you, though," Emily took over again. "I think she gets off around four."

I checked my phone to see it was only one-thirty. "What am I going to do for the next two and a half hours then."

"Hang with us, asshole," Kim said with a laugh.

"Yeah," Hannah exclaimed, throwing a piece of bread at me. "What are we, chopped liver?"

I smiled again. It was good to be home.

* * *

The girls and I were sitting in Emily's living room watching a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel.

"This is the worst thing about Christmas," I sighed, rolling my eyes at the movie. It had the same story and same ending as the one we had watched before.

"This is the best thing about Christmas," Kim countered, throwing popcorn at me.

"Will you all stop throwing food," Emily scolded. "You're worse than the guys."

Kim stuck her tongue out but at least leaned over to pick up the popcorn. "If someone wasn't such a Grinch I wouldn't have to throw food." She mock glared at me.

"The Grinch is the best. I've never related to a character more in my life," I said dramatically.

"Me either, honestly," a new voice supplied.

I turned and smiled. "Leah! I've been waiting for you! Come sit and be a Grinch with me."

Leah smiled back and came to join me on the couch. "Emily has been obsessed with the Hallmark Christmas movies since we were kids. They're all the same, if you ask me."

"They're not all the same," Emily argued.

"They totally are, Em," I said, agreeing with Leah.

"She's always been a sucker for the sappy love story with the happy ending," Leah teased her cousin.

Emily narrowed her eyes. "You're in an unusually good mood today."

"I'm happy my friend is back," Leah said, looking at me.

I studied her with one eyebrow raised. "She's lying."

Leah gaped at me. "I'm not," she insisted, failing miserably at hiding a smile.

I grinned at her. "Yes, you are. So what happened to put you in such a good mood? Did you make a grown man cry?"

Leah looked down at her hands, smiling. "I imprinted," she whispered.

I gasped.

"What?" Emily asked, standing. "What is it? I didn't hear her."

Smiling, I looked up at her. "She imprinted."

The smile that spread across Emily's face was blinding. Tears welled in her eyes. "Oh, Leah."

"I was just ringing up this guy's stuff and I looked up and there he was and it was like all the guys said it was like. The world shifted around him. I don't know how to explain it." Leah couldn't stop smiling. "He flirted with me and I gave him my number. I can't believe it."

"Sam will want to talk to you," Emily said quietly.

"I know," Leah said, nodding. "I'm in shock right now." She laughed nervously.

It was then that the back door opened and Sam entered. "Hello, ladies." He started toward me with his arms raised. I stood to hug him. "Welcome home, Ryvre. We missed you."

"Of course you did, I'm a delight," I said, hugging him tightly.

He laughed and released me. "Enjoying some Christmas movies, I see," he said, glancing at the tv.

"Not really," I replied, glaring at Emily.

She narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at me. "You better quit hating on my Hallmark." She grew serious and looked up at Sam. "Honey, Leah needs to talk to you."

"That's our cue," Kim said, looking at Hannah and me. We stood and said our goodbyes.

"See you guys tomorrow," I said, closing the front door behind me.

"Have you done any Christmas shopping yet?" Kim asked. "We can take a trip to Seattle or Port Angeles tomorrow if you want?"

"Sounds good," I agreed. Having no money I knew I was going to have to ask my dad for a small loan. They waved good bye and headed home. I was hoping Paul would have showed up at Emily's today. Since he hadn't I was debating going to look for him. The sun had gone down and the wind was cold. Home it is, I thought with a shiver.

Turns out, Paul had the same idea as me. He was waiting for me in my living room. Mom was sitting next to him. They were laughing when I entered. "There she is!" mom exclaimed when she saw me.

"The Wicked Witch returns to her realm," I said, crossing my arms.

Mom stood up. "Dinner will be ready soon," she said, taking her leave.

"You, again," I teased, still standing in the doorway.

"Me, again," he replied. "Didn't think you would have gone out today."

"I'm enjoying my freedom," I said, crossing the room to sit in the arm chair. "Look, I got to keep my shoe laces."

He smiled. "I see that. And your necklace too."

I put my hand over it, forgetting I'd put it on. "Shoe laces and jewelry. I'm a real girl again," I said with a laugh.

Paul only shook his head at me.

"What did you do today?" I asked quietly.

"Patrolled. Noting too interesting. How about you?"

"Hung out at Emily's. She made me watch the Hallmark channel." I made a face.

Paul laughed. "Yeah, she loves her Hallmark channel."

"Something big happened today," I said. "Not with me but someone else. I don't think it's my place to tell you though."

"Okay?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I'll tell you. It was Leah. She imprinted."

"Good for her," he said, smiling.

"Hopefully her guy won't be as difficult as me," I teased, looking at my hands.

"You're not difficult," he argued. "You're an adventure."

My cheeks started to burn. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Paul chuckled.

"I have something for you," I said, hopping out of the chair. I went up the stairs and to my room. When I came back down, Paul looked up. He laughed out loud when I handed him the paper. "What, did you think I was kidding?" I asked with a smile.

He shook his head, staring at the painting. "I'm going to hang this on my fridge."

I smiled. "Look at it every morning as a daily reminder to look out for squirrels," I teased.

"They are mean little creatures," he agreed. "You have plans for tomorrow?"

"Kim invited me to go Christmas shopping with her and Hannah."

"Where?" he asked, looking at me.

"Seattle, I think? Why?"

He shook his head. "Just be careful. And call me if you need me." He stood up to leave.

"Is something going on?" I asked, following him to the door. "More vampires?"

"Sam's not sure," he said, turning to face me. "I know I can't force you to stay home." He smiled a little. "So just be careful and if you go with the girls, make sure you all stay together. Keep your phone charged." His voice was even but his eyes were pleading with me to listen.

"I will," I agreed. "See you tomorrow?"

"If you're lucky," he teased with a smile.

I'll admit, this reply stunned me for a second. By the time I thought of a reply he was already gone. "Ass."


	23. Pretty Wings

_**Away from me** _   
_**To see clearly the way that love can be** _   
_**When you are not with me** _   
_**I had to leave, I have to live** _   
_**I had to lead, I had to live** _   
_**If I can't have you, let love set you free** _   
_**To fly your pretty wings around** _

* * *

 

Ryvre POV

"It looks great," mom said, admiring the tree Collin and I had just decorated. "Three hours of work paid off."

"If Collin would have let me hang the garland it wouldn't have taken three hours," I replied, looking at my brother.

He rolled his eyes. "You always do it, though."

We were interrupted by a knock at the door. Mom hurried to answer it. "Ryvre! Kim and Hannah are here!"

With a smile, I hurried to the front door and grabbed my coat. A few minutes later we were loaded in Kim's car and headed to Seattle.

"Did Jared or Seth say anything to you guys about this trip?" I asked, looking out the window.

"Just to be careful, why?" Kim asked.

"Seth said Sam thinks there's still some vampires around," Hannah added. "I don't know why, though. They haven't told us much. Did Paul say something?"

I shook my head. "Same as what Seth told you." I looked at my phone and sent Paul a quick text: Heading to Seattle now. Don't worry, I have a stake in my purse.

In my mind I could see him rolling his eyes at me. A minute later my phone buzzed with his reply: Hilarious.

I grinned. "I don't know about you guys but I'm dying for some Cinnabon."

Kim smiled at me in the rearview. "I like the way you think."

Two hours later we were still at the mall. I'd picked up gifts for almost everyone. Paul was the only one I had a problem shopping for. Kim was having the same problem picking something for Jared.

"If I get him clothes, they'll probably get ripped or dirty," she mused. "If I get him a watch, same thing, it'll get broken."

"How about an engraved dog bowl?" I suggested.

Hannah choked on her soda.

Kim glared at me. "Let's be serious here, Ryvre."

"Who said I was kidding?"

"Yeah, you get that for Paul and see how he reacts," she replied.

"He would love it, I'm sure," I told her.

She shook her head. "Maybe we should go to Port Angeles and look around there?"

"What are we going to find in Port Angeles that we can't find in Seattle, Kim?" Hannah asked, a little annoyed.

"I don't know." Kim shrugged. "I do know we should probably get moving though." She glanced at the bakery in front of us. "We had Cinnabon earlier so I definitely don't need any more sweets. That place smells so good though."

"It does smell good," an unfamiliar voice cut in. "But there's some foul scent around here. Distracting." The voice belonged to a guy who looked around our age. There was another man with him. They had red eyes.

"Yes, a faint wet dog smell," the other man agreed. "It's coming from these lovely young women." He smiled, showing us his teeth. "I wonder if they're aware of it."

"Women don't take kindly to being told they smell like a dog," I replied. "If this is your way of flirting it really sucks." I started to walk away but one of them stepped in front of me.

"You're not going anywhere," he snarled. "Not until you tell me what I want to know."

"Well, what is it you want to know? I don't remember you asking a question," I shot back.

"I like this one," the man next to me said. "Can we keep her?"

The man in front of me grinned. "An idea, sure. I want to know where Edward keeps his mate."

I rolled my eyes. "I guess you'll have to ask him, won't you?" I looked back at Kim and Hannah. "Let's go hit Starbucks before they close."

The girls stared at me but slowly moved toward me. "Lovely chat, yeah?" I said to the vampire in front of me before I moved past him. This time he let me pass but kept his eyes on us as we moved into the crowd.

"Tell the Cullens that Claudia sends her regards," he called after us. I didn't turn around.

"What if he comes after us?" Kim asked, looking back.

"He won't attack us here," I said. "There's too many people." I grabbed her arm before she could step off the sidewalk. A group of teenage boys came out the door behind us, loudly chatting with each other. I motioned for Kim to follow after them. "I'd be willing to bet they already know where we live, anyway. Now they have our scent, if they want to find us it wouldn't be that hard."

Hannah looked scared as we walked toward Kim's car. The boys in front of us kept going to their own car. Kim was breathing hard.

"Give me the keys," I demanded. She thrust them at me without protest and climbed in the back seat.

"I've never seen a vampire up close," she said quietly. "Besides the Cullens, that is."

I didn't reply. The vampire's words replayed in my head. He wanted Edward's mate. Was everything about fucking Bella? When we got into Forks, I felt my anger flare up. Instead of going home I headed toward the Cullen house. Since I didn't actually know where Bella lived, I figured there was a good place to start.

"Where are we going?" Kim asked, not recognizing the scenery.

"To raise some hell," I replied smoothly. Carlisle, Alice and Edward were on the porch when I pulled up to the house. Kim and Hannah didn't follow when I jumped out of the car.

Carlisle started: "Ryvre, to what do I-"

"Cut the shit, papa vamp. There were vampires at the mall in Seattle asking about Edward's mate and I want to know what the hell is up," I snapped.

Edward stared at me as he watched the scene I was replaying in my head. He turned and said something to Carlisle. "Maybe you should come inside," he said.

"No." I crossed my arms and stood still at the bottom of the steps.

Edward looked angry at this. Carlisle nodded and came down the steps. "I think you're familiar with our friends in Alaska?" I shrugged. "Well, they keep to the same diet as we do. There was a girl who lived with them several years ago, her name was Claudia. She struggled to stick to animal blood but she wanted to stay with the Denali clan so she tried.

"One day, she was out hunting and came across a young man who had been hunting. He had fallen and was bleeding. She lost control and killed him. After that she gave up on animal blood. Irina told her she would have to leave if she kept it up. She killed more humans and Irina sent her away. She turned up again a while later with a mate; she claimed she wanted to go straight again. Once again, Irina let her stay. Well, her mate attacked Irina one day after she caught him hunting a girl. Irina killed him and Claudia went mad with rage.

"She came to us asking for a place to stay but she wouldn't stick to our diet and I sent her away. During the time she was with us, Jasper and Edward refused her advances. We also refused to help her get revenge on Irina for killing her mate. We haven't seen or heard from her in a long time. The vampires that attacked the wolves the other night must be with her."

"Why would they attack the wolves? If they know Bella is with Edward why attack us?" I demanded.

"Bella spends a lot of time in La Push," Carlisle replied. "They must have been watching her."

"That makes no sense. If they're watching her then why did they ask where Edward keeps her?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Claudia is up to something."

"No fucking shit," I snapped. "Vampires are hurting people I love again because of Bella. If she would just stay here where she belongs then none of this mess would be happening to us."

"Bella is allowed to spend time with her friend," Carlisle defended.

"She's leading him on because she's too afraid to hurt him, that's what she's doing." I spun around and turned back to the car. "You'd better get in touch with Sam and let him know what's going on before I get back to La Push or he's going to be pissed." I slammed the car door shut behind me.

"So this is about Bella? Again?" Hannah asked. She shook her head.

I drove us back to La Push in silence. When I parked in Emily's driveway, Paul came out of the house, glaring at me. "I think I'm in trouble," I said to the girls. They jumped out of the car and almost ran inside. Preparing for the worst, I opened the door and got out.

"You went to the Cullen house? Alone? What were you thinking? Why didn't you call me?" he demanded.

"I wasn't alone, Kim and Hannah were with me," I replied. "I knew the vampires wouldn't risk following us if there were only two of them."

"What if there were more? You don't know it was just two. And, again, why didn't you call me?" he asked. He was doing a great job of keeping his anger under control.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I said honestly. "I had it under control."

He shook his head, looking away from me. "What did the Cullens say?" he asked finally.

Looking up at him, I repeated what Carlisle had said. He cursed under his breath. "So we have another battle to fight. Who knows how many vampires this time." He shook his head, suddenly looking about ten years older than he was.

"Her fight is with the Cullens. Why are we getting dragged into their fight, again?"

"Because she attacked us first," he said. "Did you forget that?"

"Of course not," I snapped. "The last big fight was only a few months ago. Is it going to always be like this? A new villain each week?" As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep the fear out of my voice this time.

Paul heard it too. He looked up at me. "It won't always be like this."

"How do you know that? As long as you're a wolf, you're going to be in danger."

"What do you want me to do? This is what I am, I can't change it."

I looked away, feeling torn. "You have to do what you have to do. I'm not ready for it."

"Ready for what?" he asked, softly now.

Shaking my head, I turned away. "Any of it."

"Ryvre?" He put a hand on my arm. "What do you mean?"

"This stress isn't good for my recovery," I replied, looking down at my feet. With that, I turned and walked away.

 _What am I doing_? I couldn't help but ask myself this as I walked home. I answered my own question: pushing Paul away again. Why? I'm scared. Tears were forming in my eyes before I reached my house. I didn't sign up for this shit. I was sitting in my room when I got the text from Kim:  _Alice was able to see where the vampires were holed up. Sam and Carlisle are planning an attack. They want to nip this in the bud_.

I threw my phone to the floor, trying to keep my breathing under control. There was a light tapping on my door. "What?" I called without opening my eyes.

"You okay?" Paul asked softly.

I sat up, shaking my head. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a fight to get to?"

"Kim texted you?"

"Of course she did." I refused to look at him.

"It's not tonight. Alice thinks that's the best time to attack is Sunday."

Four days from now. Still too soon. "She thinks? She can't be sure?" I snapped.

"You know what her visions are like," he said softly.

I shook my head, standing in front of the window. "I don't want to know anything about any of it." My breathing was starting to speed up again and I was quickly losing control of it.

Paul came behind me and wrapped his arms tightly around me. I tried to push him off but he tightened his hold. "Just breathe," he said, just above a whisper.

It was only then that I realized I was crying. I focused on Paul's breathing and tried to match it with my own. After a few minutes I was breathing normally again. "I'm okay now," I said.

He loosened his grip but didn't let me go.

"I'm scared," I whispered, knowing he would hear me. "I don't want anyone to get hurt. I don't want to lose anyone. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," he promised.

"You can't know that," I countered.

"I do. The night those vampires attacked me all I kept thinking about was you. That I had to win this fight and get back to the hospital to see you or you were going to be pissed. You're scarier than any vampire, you know?"

I laughed. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." I turned around to look at him.

He studied my face. "What are you doing to me?" he asked softly.

"What are you doing to me?" I replied, tossing his words back at him.

I didn't realize he'd moved until his lips were on mine. He didn't give me a chance to respond, the kiss was over before I'd realized it had begun. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promised.

"My mom is having a Christmas party," I said quietly. "Six o'clock. Don't be late."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, smiling. Then he was gone, leaving my head spinning.

 


	24. Chasing After You

_**I'm desperate for changing** _   
_**Starving for truth** _   
_**I'm Closer to where I Started** _   
_**Chasing after you** _

* * *

**Ryvre POV**

**Chrismas Eve**

One thing about my mother is she knew how to keep me busy and distracted. We spent the day decorating and cooking, preparing for her party. It was almost five when she sent me upstairs to get ready.

My dress was a simple one: red, with a thick black belt around the waist. I had black flats on my feet. My hair was curled slightly. I was tying the necklace Paul had given me around my neck when the doorbell rang.

 _Here we go_ , I thought.

"Ryvre! You look amazing!" my mother's friend Courtney exclaimed as I came down the stairs. She pulled me into a hug.

"So do you," I said, smiling. She had been my mom's friend since they were in high school. Growing up I had always called her Aunt Courtney.

"I bet you get some attention from all the boys," she teased, pulling the end of my hair a little.

"Just all of the attention from one boy," mom said, coming to my side.

Courtney's eyes lit up. "Is that so?"

"Who else is thirsty?" I asked, pushing past them.

"One glass of that punch, Ryvre Autumn," mom said, pointing her finger at me. "I mean it. Only one."

"I know, I know." Alcohol and medication don't mix.

The doorbell rang again and mom went to answer it. After that it was a stream of my parents' friends hugging me and asking questions. I checked my phone; disappointed to see it was seven-thirty and Paul wasn't here yet.

"Have you seen your brother?" my dad asked, appearing next to me.

"No," I said, a little too harshly.

He raised an eyebrow at me but didn't comment. I headed back over to the food table and loaded up a plate full of cookies. Another of my mom's friends was at the piano, singing a Christmas song. Courtney's son asked me to dance and I accepted. I almost wished Paul would arrive then. Just because he wasn't here doesn't mean I couldn't have fun, right? But he didn't. After the song ended I sat on the couch by the fireplace and tuned out most of the noise.

Soon enough, it was nine-thirty and people were starting to head out the door. It was then Collin walked through the front door and all of the adults pounced on him. My anger and disappointment swelled in my chest.

"Where have you been?" mom asked, just a hint of anger in her voice.

"My, gosh! What have you been feeding this boy?" Courtney exclaimed.

There was a knock at the front door. The light tug at my heart told me who it was. Wiping all emotion from my face, I went to answer it. "You're late," I said flatly.

"I know," Paul said. "I'm sorry; Sam forced us all to meet with the Cullens to talk strategy."

"And that took four hours?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "Sam wouldn't let any of us leave. Collin was late. Are you mad at him too?"

"He didn't break a promise," I replied angrily.

"It's not my fault," Paul snapped. "We attack in four days, there's a lot to plan."

"And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" I asked, knowing in my heart that it couldn't but it was too late to go back now. The monster that was my temper was out of its cage and charging full steam ahead. "It's Christmas Eve. I asked you for one thing: to be here. And you couldn't do it."

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?" he asked harshly. "I'm sorry I was late, but I'm here now. The party isn't over yet."

"Yes, it is," I snapped. In my anger, I reached up and yanked on the necklace. The cord snapped easily so I tossed it at his feet. I stepped back and slammed the door, ignoring the hurt expression on his face. Stomping toward the kitchen, I could feel the rage monster morphing into one of guilt and it was settling heavy in my stomach.

"Why did you do that?" dad asked me. He was seated at the kitchen island and had witnessed the whole scene. I didn't answer him and he sighed. "Ryvre, sit down."

His tone made me pause. I took the seat next to him. "I know what you're doing. And I know why but you have to know that it's not healthy. Paul hasn't done anything to deserve the way you just treated him."

"He broke a promise," I said dumbly, staring at my hands.

"Through no fault of his own," dad defended. "I'm sure you understand that."

"Yeah," I agreed softly. "But he's hurt me before."

"Not since the night of the bonfire, right?" dad said, causing me to think back. "Before that, maybe? The night of the fight with Victoria? I believe that's when things started to change for him, would you agree? So tell me, Little Ryvre, what has he done since then to hurt you?"

I stayed silent because I knew the answer was nothing.

"And what have you done to hurt him?"

 _A lot_. Tears started to form in my eyes.

"I'm not saying Paul is perfect but he's trying. I think he deserves as much from you. I understand what you're feeling and why you're scared. At least be honest with the boy and if you're mad make sure he knows why instead of hiding behind excuses," dad said. "It's okay to be hurt or scared but don't make up reasons to push him away. Let him know how you're feeling and give him the chance to make it better."

I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "Thanks, dad," I said still staring at my hands.

He leaned over and kissed my head. "Anytime. Go to bed now. Santa is coming." He smiled.

This made me laugh out loud. "Right. Santa."

* * *

Emily had a get together Christmas afternoon for everyone. I almost decided not to go when Collin asked me if I were ready. Only dad giving me the look pushed me to agree. So I went. Paul wasn't there when we arrived but Jared told me he would probably be there soon.

Bella was in the kitchen with Emily and Jake, to my surprise.  _I'm not going to be a bitch today_ , I told myself.

"Hey, Ryvre," Emily said, coming around to hug me. "I'm so happy you came."

"Thanks, Em," I said, forcing a smile. "Hey, Jake. Bella."

"Hey," the other girl said with a wave. "Are you having a good Christmas so far?"

 _I'm not going to be a bitch today_. "Yeah, it's been just great." Whether she detected the sarcasm or not, I couldn't tell. She just kept on smiling.

"Paul should be coming in soon," Jake said. He looked at his watch. "I was actually supposed to be the one on patrol right now but I asked Paul to switch with me so I could pick up Bella." He smiled down at her. She smiled right back.

"Isn't that nice?" I said, smiling.  _I'm_ _ **not**_ _going to be a bitch today_.

"Yeah, things have been so crazy the past few days. I haven't really gotten to spend time with Jake," Bella said. "I'm ready for this whole thing to be over. That's why I asked Carlisle to get everyone together last night so we could discuss strategy and all."

"So the meeting last night was your idea?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Carlisle agreed since Alice can't exactly predict what they're going to do."

 _I might be a little bit of a bitch today_. "And the meeting couldn't have been held earlier in the day? Or midnight last night? Or pushed off until today?"

"Ryvre," Emily said softly from behind me.

"Well, I spent the day with Edward yesterday and Jake asked me to come here today. Last night was the best time," Bella answered.

 _I'm going to be a_ _ **huge**_ _bitch today._  "The best time? Sure, the best time for you because it's always about you and your little love triangle that you deny so hard but put so much effort into keeping up. Did you think about anyone else? No, you didn't. Instead, you got Carlisle to call a meeting, forcing everyone to abandon their own plans. My brother missed our mom's Christmas party last night. He missed out on seeing family of ours he hasn't seen in months, maybe years for some of them. Not to mention, Paul was forced to be there, breaking a promise he made to me. And it wasn't even urgent. No, you planned it like that so you could spend yesterday with your boyfriend and spend today with your side boy."

"That's enough," Jake snapped at me. "It's not her fault."

"Right, silly me," I laughed. The other pack members and imprints had heard my ranting and were crowding the kitchen door to see what was going on. "I forgot. Bella farts rainbows and shits gold. She can't ever be wrong, can she?"

Jake stared down at me like he wanted to bite me. I stared right back to show him I wasn't afraid of him.

"Stand down, Jake," Sam said as he opened the back door.

Jake didn't look up but he took a few steps back. It was then I felt someone standing behind me. I wasn't surprised to discover it was Paul, giving Jake his best glare. Jake took Bella's hand and led her into the living room.

When they had disappeared Paul looked down at me but didn't say anything. Then he turned and went into the living room as well. My heart twisted.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked me.

"Yeah, fine," I said absently.

"You sure like picking fights, don't you?" the other woman teased.

"I don't mean to," I told her honestly. "Sometimes I just can't hold it in. Especially when no one else wants to say it."

"Well, only a few more days and we can all get back to normal," she said with a smile.

"Normal? What's normal around here?" I said, only half joking.

"That's a good question," Emily agreed. "Anyway, Sam gave them all today off. Tonight and tomorrow night they're meeting to train the younger ones. This will be over soon."

I shook my head. "Not soon enough. And then what happens? We wait around until the next big bad rolls through?"

Emily didn't have an answer for me.


	25. In Case You Didn't Know

Paul POV

I spent the day after Christmas sitting alone at my house. My parents had gone to visit some family out of town. I was unable to go, of course because we had to get ready for this fight. Ryvre was over all this fighting. Really, I understood. I was over it too. Who wants to spend their life in between battles? My life was beginning to feel like a bad television show with a big bag every week and a reluctant love interest to boot.

Some part of me hoped she would seek me out and apologize for how she treated me the other night. I should have known she would be too stubborn but this time I refused to go to her. It was exhausting putting in all the effort just to have her kick me to the curb again. No, this time she was going to come to me. Throwing the necklace at my feet had been the last straw.

When it was close to midnight I went to the meeting spot. Sam and the Cullens were the only ones there when I arrived, which surprised me a little. Sam normally didn’t like any of us alone with them. Maybe he trusts them more than I thought?

“Brady and Seth will patrol the area,” Sam said when he saw me. “Collin will be in wolf form so they’ll be linked in to everything we’re saying.”

I nodded to let him know I’d heard him but otherwise I didn’t respond. It wasn’t long before the others arrived. Two of the vampires gathered some of the younger wolves and started their training. Sam and Carlisle had a map spread out with an ‘X’ marking the place the vampires were hiding out.

“Jasper and Edward should be in front,” Carlisle said. “Jasper is the most experienced fighter. Edward will be able to tell us how many are inside, how many and if they have any guards positioned outside.” He drew a line and wrote an E next to it, then another and wrote a J. He drew one more and marked it with a C. “This is where we’ll go in, to cover all exits. We’ll each go with a group of three wolves.”

“I agree,” Sam said. “Jake, Paul and I will follow Jasper. Quil, Embry and Jared will follow Edward. Leah, Seth and Collin will go with you.”

“I’ll need to be somewhere outside,” Alice chimed in. “Put one of the younger wolves next to me. If my vision changes I’ll need to be able to let everyone know.”

Carlisle made some marks a few inches from the X. “We’ll place Alice here.” He drew a star. “Rosalie will be here.” He drew another star. “Esme will be here.” He connected the three stars. “The rest of the wolves will fall in along these lines. That should keep them from escaping. We’ll wait for everyone to get in position around the perimeter before any of us go in.”

Sam nodded his agreement then looked to Jake and I for approval.

“Sounds good to me, Sam,” Jake agreed, looking over to watch the younger wolves train.

“So we’ll need everyone to be here at ten,” Carlisle said, folding the map. “It may be best to split in groups.”

“Alice?” Edward asked worriedly.

She’d gotten a distant look in her eyes. Suddenly, her head snapped in the direction of the woods. “It’s too late.”

“What’s too late?” Carlisle demanded.

There was a long, painful howl from the woods. Next to us, Collin started whimpering. Something was very wrong.

“They’re coming,” Edward said.

“Who howled?” Leah demanded, marching over. “Was that Seth? What’s going on?”

“The fight came to us,” Alice said. “I didn’t see it, why didn’t I see it?”

“What is she talking about?” Leah snapped, growing more upset by the second. “Is my brother okay?”

Collin started to growl then. A woman came out of the woods then. “Carlisle, my supposed friend,” she said with a nasty smile. “Planning my demise, I take it?” She laughed.

“What did you do to the wolves in the woods?” Carlisle asked. “They’re just kids.”

“Old enough to fight, old enough to die, I always said,” she replied.

Leah growled and started to run towards Claudia. She didn’t get far, stopping so suddenly she slid nearly a foot before landing on her backside. She didn’t get up.

“Down girl,” Claudia said.

“What did you do to me?” Leah demanded, fighting to sit up.

“I didn’t do anything,” the vampire said. “But my lieutenant has the power of telekinesis. I think you’ll all be finding it pretty hard to move.”

I tried to look around at the others but I couldn’t. She was holding all of us still as statues. For the first time in a long time I felt actual fear. This was where I die, I thought. Then the anger took over. I would not allow her to kill me like this. My anger bubbled up until I felt myself start to shake. A second later I had phased into wolf form. To my surprise, I was able to move again.

“Fiona,” Claudia called.

A small blonde girl rushed out of the woods then, holding her hand up in my direction. My movements were sluggish but at least I wasn’t stuck anymore. I started to inch my way towards the vampire.

At that moment, Leah phased. Then Sam and Jake. I kept on the path towards the little blonde, it was a little easier to move now.

“Fiona, stop them!” Claudia ordered.

“I can’t!” the other one hissed.

Claudia snapped her fingers and more vampires came out of the trees. I could feel the others phase behind me. Fiona was staring at me, eyes wide with fear as I got even closer to her. The Cullens were still frozen in place. As much as I hated to admit it, we needed them to win this. Claudia’s numbers were greater than we originally guessed.

When I was a few feet away Fiona gave up trying to keep me away and attacked. Her power over me was only slightly so. She moved quicker than I did but it was obvious she often relied on her powers to win fights. My jaws locked on her arm, I dragged her to the ground. She screamed, swinging her other arm at me.

With one paw on her chest, I jerked my head upward taking her arm with me. She screamed louder but only for a second. Grabbing a handful of my fur she pulled herself up and locked her own jaws on my shoulder. I yelped in pain but managed to shake her off. It was only a minute later I’d gotten my jaws around her head and took it off.

With her death, the Cullens were able to move freely. All around me were screams of pain but I couldn’t focus on anything. Fire was in my blood, burning me from inside out and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I fell to the ground with a howl of pain. Somewhere in the back of my mind came Ryvre’s voice: _You’re an idiot_.

* * *

 

**Ryvre POV**

The day after Christmas was a lonely one for me. I’d felt too anxious to go anywhere. Paul was obviously still hurting from the way I’d treated him Christmas Eve. Holidays were supposed to be happy times, weren’t they? Full of love and laughter and gift giving. The only gift I’d given was pain. Even at Emily’s I’d been a bitch to Bella and Jake. Now I was too embarrassed to face any of them.

Why couldn’t I ever just keep my mouth shut?

And how do you apologize to someone when you meant everything you said? Is that even possible? I didn’t think so.

Deciding to swallow my pride I got my phone and dialed Paul’s number before I could chicken out. He didn’t answer. Probably still mad at me. I mean, I would be mad at me too. I sighed. Texting it is.

_Just wanted to say I’m an idiot. You probably already know that. I’m sorry._

Shaking my head, I tried again. _I meant sorry about the other night_. 

Several minutes went by with no response so I typed out one more: _I guess you’re meeting with the Cullens right now? If you’re ignoring me I understand. Call me?_

“Ball in your court,” I said, looking out the window. Obviously I’d waited too long today. Deciding it was better to just go to sleep I put my phone on the charger and lay down. I never actually fell asleep though, just stared at the wall for I don’t even know how long.

The slam of the front door made me jump. I climbed out of bed and listened. More than one set of footsteps were coming up the stairs. I yanked my door open just as Collin and Jared reached the landing. My stomach dropped to my toes. “What happened?”

“Alice was wrong. Wrong about everything,” Jared started.

“Cut the bullshit. What happened?”

“Paul got bit.”

“Bit? What does the mean?” My head was spinning trying to remember any information about vampire bites.

“Carlisle is giving him blood to fight the venom. He wants to see you,” Collin said.

I almost walked out of the house without my shoes. Luckily, Jared stopped me. The rest of the pack members were waiting at Sam’s house when we got there. Paul wasn’t the only one who was hurt. Quil and Seth were injured too, it seemed. My brother led me to the guest bedroom where Paul was.

His eyes were closed as Carlisle worked to flush the vampire venom from his system. His skin was pale. When I touched his hand I had to fight the urge to jerk my hand back. He was always so warm but now his skin was clammy. Time almost seemed to stand still as I stared at him, clutching his hand tightly.

I reached in my pocket and took out the small bag I’d had there since yesterday. “Sorry I didn’t give this to you before,” I said quietly. Opening it, I took the bracelet out and put it on Paul’s wrist. “Merry Christmas.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Sorry,” Sam said, smiling sheepishly. “I called your name but you didn’t hear me.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, turning away from Paul. “What’s up?”

“Emily made some food. She wants you to come eat.”

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. “She said if you won’t come willingly she’ll come in here and drag you out by your ear. Let Carlisle do his work. I’ve seen you eat before, you won’t be gone longer than five minutes,” he teased.

This made me crack a smile. “Five minutes.”

I followed Sam out into the living room and stopped. Someone had left the front door open. Jake and Bella were in the front yard, seemingly locked in a heated argument. The last bit of restraint I had snapped.

Leah was standing near the front door. She noticed my staring and looked out the window. “Ryvre, calm down,” she said.

“I am calm,” I said flatly. All eyes were on me in that moment. Ignoring Sam’s calls for me to stop I marched out the front door. “What is she doing here?” I demanded.

“Ryvre, this is not her fault,” Jake said, moving to stand in front of her.

“Are you fucking stupid? Of course, it is, Jake!” I yelled. “If she would stay in Forks with Edward where she belongs none of this would have happened. But no, she can’t be happy with just one guy she has to keep you on a hook too. And you let her just string you along, happy for what little attention she decides to give you. Look where it’s gotten you, Jake. She’s not your imprint, she’s not the one for you so why can’t you just let her go? If you would just let her go she wouldn’t have come to La Push so much. Those vampires would have never seen her down here. None of us would be in danger and Paul wouldn’t be lying in there dying right now.” I was seething.

The noise in the yard and the house had come to a halt when I started my tirade. Now it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Bella was staring at the ground, afraid to look at me. Good. She should be afraid. Jake actually took a few steps back, away from Bella.

Finally, she looked up. “Ryvre, I’m sorry-“

“Shut up.”

“But-“

“I said shut up. I don’t want to hear a word you have to say.” I glared at her until she took a step back and turned away from me.

“Ryvre,” Emily called to me from the door way. “Paul is awake.”

As if on cue, a groan of pain could be heard coming from his room. My heart twisted at the sound. I spun around and rushed back through the house.

“I’m here,” I said, taking my seat and reaching for his hand.

“The venom is almost out of his system,” Carlisle said, shaking a vial of blood in front of him. “Another hour or so and it should be gone.”

“Another hour? Are you kidding me?” I snapped, looking down at Paul who was clearly in pain.

“I’m going to give him a sedative to make it a little easier on him.”

Paul squeezed my hand, calling my attention to him.

“The pain you’re feeling right now is just a fraction of what I’m going to do to you,” I said, my voice cracking only a little.

“Looking forward to it,” he said with a pained smile.

“You’re an idiot.”

He let out a choked laugh. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” he quipped, his eyes fluttering as the sedative entered his bloodstream.

“That’s my line,” I said quietly, smiling a little.

Emily appeared at my side then with a full plate of food. She smiled kindly when I took it. “His color is coming back,” she observed. Touching a hand to Paul’s arm she smiled again. “He’s warm too. Whatever you’re doing, Carlisle, it’s working.”

For a vampire, Carlisle suddenly looked very tired. He smiled politely. “Thank you, Emily. I hope this helps make up for the fact we got him in this mess to begin with.”

My cheeks immediately started burning. “I’m sorry, I was upset. I meant every word I said but I’m sorry for screaming.”

Carlisle winked at me. “Apology accepted. And we will be leaving soon, I want you to know. Edward is going to talk to Bella tonight. As much as I hate to force her she will have to make a choice soon. The Volturi want us to turn her, which Edward is against, of course. She wants it, though and it’s her choice. She will have to choose between staying with her father and Jake as a human, or becoming a vampire and leaving with us. She can’t have it both ways.” He looked at Emily. “I’d like to speak with Sam for a moment.”

“I’ll go get him,” she said, motioning for me to follow. Reluctantly, I let go of Paul’s hand and followed her. To my shock, Bella was still here. She was sitting on the couch with Kim. Jared, Jake, Collin and Embry were seated on the floor. A few of the new wolves were also seated around the coffee table. I noticed some new girls here as well and realized I’d been missing a lot.

“Jake, I’m sorry for how I yelled at you outside,” I said, surprising everyone within earshot. “I mean, you’re still dumb for letting her string you along like that.”

He smiled and I knew I was forgiven.

“Ryvre,” Bella started. “Jake has been my friend since we were kids. Edward is the love of my life. I’m allowed to have both of them in my life.”

“Sure, you are,” I agreed. “But you know how Jake feels about you. And you’ve done nothing but use him. Letting him think he has a shot at winning you but he doesn’t. You want to be a vampire and be with Edward. So why are you still here?”

Her face turned red as everyone in the room turned to look at her. “Why are you here?” she shot back. “You didn’t even want to be an imprint. You fought it for so long and you moved across the country. All you have ever done is cause pain for Paul. You didn’t want to be here before so why are you here now?

“Because I made my choice,” I snapped. “And it’s time for you to grow up and make yours.” With that I turned and went back into the room where Paul was still lying, sedated.

“It shouldn’t be much longer,” Carlisle said softly when I sat down.

“Thanks.” I took Paul’s hand again, enjoying how warm he felt. His skin tone was almost back to normal. With a sigh, I leaned forward and laid my head on his arm. All this excitement and drama had sucked the energy right out of me. Forget the fact I didn’t sleep last night. I felt like a hot damn mess. Probably looked like one too. My eyes fluttered closed without my permission but they flew open when Paul groaned.

Slowly, his eyes opened and he blinked several times. He smiled when he saw me. “You, again.”

I laughed once. “Yeah. Me, again.” Without thinking, I leaned up and kissed him softly.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked when I pulled away.

“I made my choice,” I said matter of factly. “I choose you.” The smile I got in return was enough to make my heart flutter. And all that damn guilt returned. “I’m sorry for how I acted Christmas Eve. I know you would have been there if you could. I just felt so stupid.”

“Why did you feel stupid?” he asked, squeezing my hand gently.

“I spent the whole night staring at the door, waiting for you to walk through it,” I admitted honestly. “All I wanted was to dance with you and maybe kiss you under the mistletoe.” I looked at my feet as my cheeks turned red. “Then you didn’t come and I was upset. For some reason I felt embarrassed. So I lashed out like I always do.”

His hand touched my face, causing me to look up. “It’s okay,” he said.

“It’s not,” I replied.

“What’s this?” he asked, noticing the bracelet for the first time.

My cheeks heated up again. “Your Christmas present from me.” It was just a simple brown leather bracelet.

“It’s nice,” he said, admiring it.

I reached over and undid the clasp then held it up for him to see the inside.

“’Every day.’” he read. “’O4/12/06’ What’s that?”

“The day we met. I know I kinda suck,” I said with a shrug. “It’s a promise that I’ll everyday I’ll try to be better.”

“So what’s with the date?” he insisted. “If I remember correctly we didn’t exactly get along. I mean, most people would have put the date that the relationship became official, but I don’t think we’re even in a relationship?” He was teasing me now.

“I’ve always been yours,” I said quietly. “It just took me this long to realize it.”

Paul didn’t reply. He took the bracelet and put it back around his wrist. “It’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten,” he said honestly.

“You’d better not break it,” I said seriously. “I know how you guys like to phase and rip your clothes to shreds.”

“I’ll take good care of it,” he promised laughing.

“You’d better.”

He reached up to cup my cheek, gently pulling me towards him for a kiss. I happily obliged him.  


	26. Halo

**Ryvre POV**

Paul slept the rest of the night, regaining his strength. When I wandered back out into the living room, everyone was still hanging around. Even the Cullen family was there, much to my surprise.

“How’s Paul?” Kim asked when she saw me.

“Sleeping, but he’s going to be okay,” I said suddenly feeling very tired. “What happened out there?”

“Claudia knew more about Alice’s gift than we realized,” Edward admitted. “Irina or Tanya must have told her about it before. She somehow figured out how to manipulate it.”

“We were all in the clearing,” Sam chimed in. “We thought we had it all figured out. Then Alice said it was too late, she’s here. Seth howled in the woods. And then there she was walking out there like she was queen shit.” He shook his head.

“She had a vampire who had a special gift,” Jared said, taking over.

“What kind of gift?” I asked.

“Telekinesis,” Edward said. “She was able to control all of our bodies. We weren’t able to move at all. Then Paul phased and we realized she didn’t have as much control over the wolves as she did over us. He moved slow, but he could move at least.”

“The rest of us phased and she got scared,” Jake said, speaking up for the first time. “Paul got to that bitch first. Ripped her arm off and got her on the ground. That’s when she bit him. He killed her then he went down because of all the venom. The Cullens were able to fight then and we were able to kill the rest of them.”

“We might have died if Paul hadn’t gotten to her when he did,” Carlisle said, looking at me. “Claudia tried to have some of her followers attack us while we were still frozen in place. The wolf pack didn’t allow that, though and for that I thank all of you.”

“It was a team effort,” Jake said, shaking his head.

“Nevertheless, my family might be dead if not for you all protecting us,” Carlisle said. “And of course, Paul killing Fiona was what saved us.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face at his words.

“Alright, it’s time for everyone to go home now,” Emily said, clapping her hands together. “You all need to get some rest. You, too, Ryvre,” she pointed at me when I didn’t move.

“I think I’ll stay here with Paul.”

“He’s going to be fine,” Emily insisted. “He’s sleeping now and that’s what you need to be doing. Go home and get some rest.”

I hesitated another moment. Collin came over and put his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, sis, I’ll walk you home,” he said, grinning.

Finally, I gave in. “Fine but only because I have had zero sleep.”

“I’ll make sure you know the second Paul wakes up,” Emily promised as she ushered us out the door.

I gave her a tight hug. “Thanks, Em.”

“No problem, sweetie. See you tomorrow.”

* * *

 

I awoke a while later to my phone ringing. Absently, I noticed it was almost two in the afternoon.

“Did I wake you?” Emily asked when I answered.

“Yes,” I groaned. Then quickly sat up. “Is Paul okay?”

She laughed. “He’s fine. He’s still sleeping. Carlisle is checking his blood again to be sure there’s no venom left. I was calling because I wanted to have a party tonight to celebrate the victory. Maybe five o’clock at the beach?”

“Party on the beach at the end of December, I can’t think of anything that would be more fun,” I replied with a chuckle.

“Well, there’s been so many people in and out of the house the last few days I’m tired of cleaning it,” she said. She meant to sound light hearted but I could detect the hint of aggravation in her voice and I felt bad. Emily takes care of all of us, makes sure we’re all fed and the boys have a place to go when they can’t go anywhere else. None of us thank her enough.

“Sounds good, Em,” I replied. “See you tonight.” We hung up then. With a sigh, I heaved myself out of bed. Time to move.

Collin was seated at the kitchen table eating a sandwich. “Feeling alright?” I asked as I sat down across from him.

“I’m good,” he said with a shrug. “Emily is having a party for us tonight at the beach to celebrate.”

“Yeah, she called me.” I crossed my arms on the table and lay my head down. “Do you think I was out of line last night? With the whole Bella thing, that is.”

Collin stopped chewing and looked at me. “Why do you care?”

Now I shrugged. “I just feel like I was kind of a bitch.”

“Bella was upset,” he finally admitted. “She complained to Jake but I think what you said to him finally hit home. He took your side. They went outside and talked. We all tried not to listen but with the wolf hearing we really couldn’t help it. Jake forced her to admit she was never going to be with him and she told him Edward asked her to marry him. She accepted. He’s planning to turn her on their wedding night. Jake was pretty upset.”

I didn’t say anything as I mulled this information over.

“Jake isn’t mad at you, though,” Collin said quickly. “He actually appreciates how you went off on her. The other girls thought it was pretty entertaining. They get tired of hearing about her drama too. Especially Summer. She can’t stand Bella.” He laughed.

“Which one is Summer?” I asked, racking my brain.

“Nate’s imprint.”

“Well, which one is Nate?”

Collin laughed. “You met him at Emily’s on Christmas.”

“I don’t remember being formally introduced to anyone at Christmas.” I pouted.

“You already know that we had new wolves when you were at school and more when you were in the hospital,” Collin explained. “Paul told Emily when you were getting out of the hospital and she wanted to have a big coming home party for you to introduce you to all the new wolves and imprints. Paul told her you weren’t up for it though so I guess you really haven’t had the chance to meet everyone yet. Always too busy yelling at someone.”

This embarrassed me a little but Collin smiled. “I don’t mean anything by it. Bella needed to be knocked down a peg or two. Edward and Jake treat her like the sun shines out of her ass so she goes around expecting everyone else to do the same. You didn’t say anything we weren’t all thinking.”

“So how many new ones are there?” I asked finally. I’d noticed a lot of new faces at Emily’s but I hadn’t taken a moment to talk to any of them.

“There’s a few,” he said thinking about it. “There’s another girl wolf.”

“Really?” I perked up. “Does Leah feel a little bit better then?”

“Actually, yes,” Collin said. “She doesn’t feel like a complete outsider now.”

“That’s great,” I said, genuinely meaning it. I stood up. “I need a shower. Don’t leave without me.”

“No promises,” he called after me.

* * *

 

It was cold and windy but that didn’t stop us from having a great night. The guys had built a huge bonfire for us to keep warm around. Paul was already there when Collin and I arrived.

“Finally, she makes her entrance,” he said.

“I’ve been standing in the woods for ten minutes waiting on someone to roll out the red carpet,” I quipped. “Guess you forgot.”

“What will I have to do for you to forgive me?” he teased.

“Walk me to the cliff?” I suggested.

This caught him off guard. “The cliff? Why?”

“Why not?” I turned and started to walk away. He followed. “How are you feeling?” I asked.

“Like myself again. Vampire venom really does a number on you,” he said.

“Really? How?” I stopped to look at him. I’d known he was in pain, of course but to what extent I had no clue.

“I had these weird hallucinations that you were actually nice to me and you kissed me,” he said with a smile.

I crossed my arms. “That was real, you ass.”

“See, that sounds more like you. I still think it was a hallucination. You might just have to prove it was real,” he said, leaning down.

“Shut up and kiss me,” I said, tilting my face upward.

“You’re bossy.”

“You love it.” Smiling, I took a step toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck. My body came alive when our lips touched. He had his hands on my waist, holding me close against him. I pulled back to look at him and his hands moved behind my head. Looking down I realized he had fixed my necklace and was tying it back where it belonged.

“Never take this off again,” he practically growled in my ear.

“Now who’s bossy?” I said breathlessly.

He laughed and kissed me again.

 


End file.
